A Soul Reaper's Requiem
by CloudyCloud7639
Summary: AU. AU Zanpakuto. With his Mothers death, Ichigo's life changed. The day after her death, he heard a voice in his head, urging him to be stronger. What happens when he meets Zangetsu seven years earlier? And who is the other person in his soul? Characters may be severely OOC.
1. Prologue

**Hi, everyone. As you can see, this is the story that I've been working on for the past few months. I have written eight complete chapters for this story, so you shouldn't have to wait long for the next chapter. I will update at least once a month, and will try to write chapters ahead of time. However, I will now try to update my other stories.**

 **Please understand that this is Severely AU, and Ichigo's Zanpakuto's will have AU powers. If you don't like that, please, for both of our sakes, don't read this story. People will also be rather OOC, partly because of the way Ichigo's life goes after Masaki's death, and how he changes people. Ichigo will also be OP, mostly because of his training, and because of Zangetsu's powers. But to tell you anything more would to spoil this chapter!**

 **If you do continue to read, please have fun and enjoy!**

Prologue

Ichigo sat in his room, knees drawn up to his chest, tears streaming down his face. His mother had just died because of him. If he hadn't run after that girl then they wouldn't have been attacked by that monster, and his mom would still be alive.

" **No, you didn't kill her, the monster did. You were just trying to be nice and save that girl,"** a voice in his head said.

'But if I hadn't tried then Mom would still be alive!' Ichigo argued. He was too far lost in his grief to realize that there shouldn't be a voice in his head, and that he shouldn't be talking back to it if there was.

" **If you hadn't tried, then you wouldn't be you!"** the voice said.

'Then what should I do?' Ichigo asked.

" **Train to kill that monster and any others like it,"** the voice answered.

'How?' Ichigo asked.

" **Remember the power that flooded through you when you saw that monster? Train to use that. You can do many things with that,"** the voice said.

Ichigo nodded. 'Okay, I will! I will avenge Mom!' he declared.

" **Good,"** the voice said, an uplift in his voice, like a note of triumph.

III

The next day, Ichigo found a secluded spot in the forest to train in. Upon following the advice of the voice - **"Sit down, Meditate, and search for a blue orb of light."** \- he saw a huge orb of blue light. It was bright, but it didn't hurt his eyes. It was hot, but it didn't scorch him. He tried to touch it, but it moved back, avoiding his hand.

"C'mon, please? I need you to work with me here. Please allow me to draw you out?" he asked.

It stayed still, so he tried again. It allowed him to touch it, and he grabbed a hold of it. He then directed it into his chest, just as the voice in his head had told him to do. He tried to do it slowly, but the energy took control and pushed itself into him.

It felt warm, and then hot, almost hot enough to burn him. As it pushed, the area around him became bright. Too bright. It hurt his eyes and forced him to close them. When the flood of energy stopped, and the light was no longer too bright, Ichigo opened his eyes.

What he saw was an odd sight. It was a sideways city, with gravity pinning him to the side of a skyscraper, as if it was the ground. Thanks to him realizing this he didn't freak out. The wind carried voices to his ears.

" _ **Are you sure, Ossan? This could hurt him. You should tell him the truth,"**_ a voice that sounded like it came from underwater spoke.

" **What else can I do, Shiro? He needs to be strong if he is to face me one day. How else can we do this but to hide you for now?"** the voice responded.

" _ **You can tell him the truth! If he knows why he must fight, if he knows the truth about his mother's death, if he knows the true extent of his powers early on, won't he fight better, have a drive to get stronger, faster?"**_ Shiro asked.

" **Hmm, you could be right. Well, he should be here soon. He is a natural at this type of stuff, afterall,"** Ossan said.

Ichigo decided to speak up. "I'm here, and I heard what you said. What truth are you hiding from me? Why were you going to lie to me?" he asked.

Two people appeared in front of him. One looked like an albino him, but with black eyes and gold eyes instead of white and amber.

The other one was an older man who wore black, had black hair and black eyes.

" _ **Well, Ichigo, this guy thought that he should protect you by not telling you about me, a Hollow. But I'm not just a Hollow, I'm also a Zanpakuto. Your Zanpakuto. Well, your second one, because so is Ossan. I'm Mugetsu, he's Zangetsu. Did you hear me correctly?"**_ Shiro asked.

"Mugetsu? Zangetsu? But aren't your names Shiro and Ossan?" Ichigo asked, curious.

" _ **My Hollow name is Shiro. There's a long story behind that. As for Ossan, he asked me to call him that, as he no longer wishes to go by his old name. He hates it. There's a long story behind that, too. Would you like to hear my story?"**_ Shiro asked.

Ossan looked shocked. **"You're going to tell him? Even if it means that he'll hate you?"** he asked.

Shiro scowled at him and nodded tersely. _**"Yes, I am. With the King, honesty is always best. If he comes to hate me, then so be it. No matter what, everything that I am is his to use, if he can prove that he has the power and control to use it,"**_ he said.

Ossan looked thoughtful. **"I see,"** he said, before falling silent.

Shiro looked back at Ichigo. _**"Well, King, ready to hear my story?"**_ he asked with a half smile.

Ichigo nodded. "Yes, I suppose so," he said.

Shiro nodded back. _**"Okay then, let's begin. I'm not sure what year it was, so I can't give you an exact date, but your mother was eighteen, so that might help you. Anyway, to begin I must tell you of the four worlds that are in this dimension. There is Soul Society, which is basically the Afterlife, though it is far from perfect. There is Hell, where the Sinners go. There is Hueco Mundo, where the Hollows live, and then there is Earth, where the Humans live.**_

 _ **The first three are for the dead, Earth is for the living. In Soul Society there are beings called Shinigami. These Shinigami are supposed to purify Hollows, so that the spirits that make up the Hollows can go to Soul Society as well.**_

 _ **Hollows are originally spirits, spirits who have strong negative emotions, such as sadness or regret, even anger, when they died. These Hollows are filled with an eternal Hunger, so they eat. What they eat are other souls, be they other Hollows, Shinigami, or Spirits.**_

 _ **By eating other souls they grow stronger, continuously evolving into better and stronger forms, until they become the strongest evolution of Hollow, a Vasto Lorde.**_

 _ **I was a Vasto Lorde when I was captured by a Shinigami that was stronger than me. I do not know his name, but he looked nice at first, when instead he was pure evil. He experimented on me and sent me after Shinigami in the Living World. Your Father snuck out to deal with me, but I was stronger than him, smarter too, so I quickly defeated him.**_

 _ **I was about to devour him when your Mother shot her arrows at me. I dodged, but she outsmarted me, lured me close, and shot me through the head with her Quincy Arrows.**_

 _ **If I was a normal Hollow I would have dissolved, ceasing to exist. But, because of the experiments, I pushed my essence into her body and went to devour her mind so that I could take over her body. Your Father stopped me and I was sealed away somehow... until you were conceived and I merged with you, or, more specifically, Mugetsu.**_

 _ **As Mugetsu I mellowed out a lot. I no longer felt hungry, and felt no desire to devour souls. I felt happier, because of you. I have been watching over you your entire life and I feel as if you're my younger brother. But there was also one other person here.**_

 _ **Ossan, or Zangetsu if you prefer. He was – is – your other Zanpakuto. He is Mugetsu's brother Zanpakuto. But Ossan wasn't always a Zanpakuto, wasn't always Zangetsu. However, that is his story to tell, not my own.**_

 _ **Are you okay knowing all of this, Ichigo?"**_ he asked.

Ichigo thought about the question for a minute before deciding. "Yeah, I'm fine. Tell me, what exactly is a Zanpakuto? And is the monster that killed Mom a Hollow?" he asked.

" _ **To your second question, yes. That Hollow is called the Grand Fisher. He uses the souls that he's devoured as bait for more food. That girl that you saw was what he was using as a Lure. You saw it and thought that she would drown, not knowing what she was. Your mother knew that she was a ghost and didn't want you to get hurt, so she ran after you so that you**_ **wouldn't** ** _get hurt,"_** Shiro explained.

"So, she did die because of me?" Ichigo asked sadly.

" **...No, you had nothing to do with it. I killed her. Or, rather, my other version did. Will you hear me out, Ichigo? Will you hear my story?"** Ossan asked.

Ichigo didn't know what to feel. This was turning into a long day. He had woken up feeling that his mothers death was his fault, despite what Ossan said. Then, during Shiro's story, he began to think that maybe her death wasn't his fault afterall. Then he began to think that it was his fault again, but now Ossan was saying that Ossan had done it?

What was the truth? He had to know, so he nodded. "Go ahead," he said, no emotion in his voice to betray his thoughts.

" **Thank you for this chance. My real name is Juhabach, though I am also known as Yhwach. I am the memory of the real me from one thousand years ago. The real me is still out there and he just woke up. He is gathering power so that he can destroy Soul Society and become the Soul King. He is – I am – the Quincy King.**

 **Your Mother was not just killed by a Hollow. She was also killed by my real form. He absorbed her energy to strengthen himself, along with many others, and the Hollow finished her off. I wish that I could have stopped this, but I couldn't. Instead, I can only hope that I can train you to kill him,"** Ossan said.

"That was much shorter than Shiro's," Ichigo commented.

" **I am not mincing words,"** Ossan said.

"I see. I have a few questions, of course. What exactly are Zanpakuto? You didn't answer that one. You said that my father was – is – a Shinigami. How? Why did he leave Soul Society? How do you know? What is a Quincy? What are the rules of this world?" Ichigo asked, surprisingly calm.

" _ **Yer not gonna ask how we merged with yer Zanpakuto?"**_ Shiro asked **,** amazed.

"Well, I was, once I knew what they are," Ichigo answered.

They nodded. _**"Zanpakuto are translated into – roughly of course - "Soul Slaying Sword". They are what purify Hollows to allow the souls trapped inside to enter the Soul Society. However, if the Hollow, or person, cut by one – killed, really – was evil, or sinned, they would be sent to Hell. So, in a way, it is a Judgment Sword.**_

 _ **But there's more to the sword than just those abilities. Each Zanpakuto has a spirit inside of it, sometimes two. These spirits are half of the Shinigami's soul, so to kill the Zanpakuto, or even to cut it off from the Shinigami, would weaken the Shinigami severely.**_

 _ **The better the relationship between Zanpakuto and wielder, the more powerful they become, being able to amplify the others power far beyond their normal limits. Each spirit has a power of some sort, be it Fire, Water, Ice, Earth, or draining someone else of their Reiatsu. It can be many other things, or all of them at once. You will need to train with us so that you can begin to use, and then master, these powers.**_

 _ **Onto the next question. Your father was born into a Noble Family in Soul Society, the Shiba's. There were five Noble Families in all: the Shiba's, the Shihoin's, the Kuchiki's, the Ukitake's and the Yamamoto's. That is, there were five until Isshin left.**_

 _ **He was the Clan Head of the Shiba Clan. Since he left without naming an Heir, the Clan was made to drop the Noble title. The only thing that can revive the Clan back to Noble status is to have a lot of money, and a lot of strength.**_

 _ **Anyway, since he was a Noble, he was put into the Shin'o Academy so that he could become a Shinigami. He graduated in two years and was part of the Tenth Squad. He was later taken up to be a Royal Guard for the Soul King, before he went back to Soul Society to become the Captain of Squad Ten.**_

 _ **He left for Karakura Town when he received word of myself, and you know that part of the story. He fell in love with your mother and married her, settling down here to have a family.**_

 _ **Now, every Noble Family has a family of Zanpakuto assigned to them. You'll notice the resemblance in our names, Zangetsu and Mugetsu, and your father's, Engetsu. We watch over the Family until we find one that we want to partner with. Well, Zan and I both wanted you to be our wielder, so we both went instead of fighting it out.**_

 _ **A Quincy is a human who can make weapons out of Reishi that are very effective at killing Hollows. They were given a portion of Yhwach's soul to heal them and they gained his powers, and those powers were passed down through the Generations.**_

 _ **The rules are: have your comrades back's, never let them be hurt if you can help it, and obey the laws.**_

 _ **As for our merging, I'm not exactly sure how it happened. I was Shiro and I was Mugetsu. I was fighting the other and then we found ourselves merged. I didn't even notice when it began, or when it was happening. I only know that it did. Same for Ossan,"**_ Shiro said.

Ossan nodded in agreement.

"I see. Tenth Squad? How many Squads are there? What is the Royal Guard? How can you better the relationship between Zanpakuto and Wielder? What are my powers? When can I start training in them? I would like to avenge my Mother, and give my Father back his place as a Noble, if you'll let me. You are my partners now, so I want to get along well with you two. Will you let me? We can get strong together!" Ichigo said with conviction.

" _ **There are Thirteen everyday Squads. The last one, the Zero Squad, is the Royal Guard, tasked with protecting the Soul King. Treat us as people. The way to better a relationship with us is the same way you would with a friend, it's simple. My powers as Shiro are limited to a Hollow's powers. As Mugetsu I can also control Bones, and I have an affinity for speed,"**_ Shiro said.

" **And I can control the Forces of Nature, as well as use my Quincy powers, and I have an affinity for speed,"** Ossan said.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "That's a lot! Wow!" he said.

They nodded. **"As for your last question, Ichigo. Yes, we will let you,"** Ossan said.

Shiro nodded. _**"That we will, King!"**_ he said.

Ichigo grinned and nodded. "Can we get started?" he asked.

They nodded and began his training.

III

Chapter 1

Time Skip – 1 Year.

"Ossan? Shiro? Can I talk to you?" Ichigo asked, appearing in his mindscape.

" _ **Sure, King! Don't be so nervous! What do you need?"**_ Shiro asked with a smile.

"Well, don't get angry, okay? I was wondering, since I need to make lots of money to get Dad back to his Noble status, that maybe I could use your powers to make money?" Ichigo asked, sure that he was about to get yelled at. When he wasn't, he looked up to see two thoughtful faces.

" **How would you go about that, Ichigo?"** Ossan asked.

"Well, a couple of ways, really. You know how I've been practicing with Earth and Bones? Well, with the Bones, I can create an aged Fossil for one of my Reishi Clones to sell. With the Earth, I can do many things. I can open some Sand Baths, I can open a Jewelry store, and I can sell stones, and Crystal Figurines, using some more Reishi Clones. I'm sorry if I've angered you," Ichigo said.

" **Angered us? No, you have not. Merely, we have only thought of the ways that our powers can be used in battle, not outside of it,"** Ossan replied.

" _ **I'll admit, King, that your idea is brilliant!"**_ Shiro said.

"So, you'll let me?" Ichigo asked hopefully.

" **It's a good way to practice your powers over them at any rate. Yes, we will allow it,"** Ossan said.

Ichigo grinned and thanked them. He left his mindscape to get started on the Jewelry and Fossils. To his surprise, he saw a Hollow standing there, patiently waiting for him to notice it. Ichigo immediately got ready for battle.

Instead, the Hollow raised its hands up in a 'I mean no harm' gesture. "Ichigo, do you remember me?" it asked. Its voice was male.

"I don't know. You could be any soul that I tried to help, or that tried to kill me. Maybe you could tell me your name?" Ichigo asked, slightly confused.

It nodded. "My name is Grimmjow Jagerjaquez. You helped me three years ago. I was about to go to Soul Society, but I was eaten by a Hollow. When that Hollow became a Menos Grande, I took my chance and became the one in charge of this body. I then evolved into an Adjuchas, which I am now, before I opened a Garganta and came to find you. I haven't repaid my debt to you, but I intend to. So here I am. I will be your bodyguard from now on!" he said.

Ichigo blinked. "I remember you! I'm sorry that you became what you did. Okay, if you are insistent upon this, then you need to get strong with me. I will not tolerate a weak bodyguard!" he declared.

Grimmjow grinned. "Thank you, Ichigo. I won't disappoint!" he said.

Ichigo nodded.

III

Time Skip – 1 Year.

Ichigo watched as Tatsuki and Orihime walked into his Jewelry store, Sora Inoue following them.

"You need to move on," Ichigo said in a low voice as he stood next to Sora.

"She asked me to not leave her," Sora replied.

He watched as Orihime browsed the shelves, looking at them with obvious delight. "She seems happier, though," he commented.

"She's trying to be, so that you won't be worried about her. She wants you to rest in peace," Ichigo said.

"Are you sure? She seems to be forgetting about me," Sora said sadly.

"Ooh! Tatsuki-Chan, look! This Topaz necklace, it's so pretty! It reminds me of Sora-Nii-San. His eyes were this color, so was his hair," Orihime said, smiling sadly.

"Don't worry, Orihime. He's probably resting up in Heaven, happily watching over you," Tatsuki said in comfort.

"Do you think so, Tatsuki-Chan? I can feel him sometimes, and he's always sad. I don't want him to be sad because of me, I want him to be happy. So I try to live happily, so that he won't be sad or worried because of me. I want to show him that I can take care of myself, so that he can rest in peace," Orihime said, still looking at the necklace.

Sora was amazed. "You speak the truth," he said to Ichigo.

Ichigo nodded.

"What would you say to him, if you could?" Tatsuki asked.

Orihime didn't even have to think. "I would say to him what I should have the night that he died. 'I'm sorry, have a good day, Nii-San!'" she said.

Sora smiled and started to glow. He sank into the ground and he was gone.

'There! That went better than I hoped!' he thought.

He walked up to Orihime. "Are you going to get that necklace, Inoue-Chan?" he asked.

She looked up at him with wide eyes for a minute before she looked at the price tag. She shook her head and put it back. "No, it's too expensive," she said.

Ichigo picked it up and went over to his clone, who was working the register, disguised as an older man. "Oi, Ojī, deduct the amount for this off of my work! Tatsuki, you pick out something, too," he said.

The girls looked at him in shock. "But why would you do this, Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked.

"Because you're my best friend, Tatsuki, and she's yours. That's enough for me. Besides, I work for this place, doing deliveries and the like, so it won't cost me any more than I'm willing to work for. And if you don't pick something out for yourself, I'll pick for you!" Ichigo said.

Tatsuki smiled and hugged him. "Thank you so much, Ichigo! But if you use this as an excuse to say that I'm a girl, I'll pound you into pulp!" she said.

Ichigo laughed. "No chance of that! You may be a girl, but you're not a girly-girl!" he said.

She grinned back and then went to browse the shelves.

Orihime walked up to him and he took the necklace from his clone and put it on her neck. "There, now you'll always be reminded of your brother!" he said with a smile.

She grinned a wide, happy grin. "Thank you so much, Kurosaki-Kun!" she said, hugging him.

"Think nothing of it! I'm glad to help you," he said.

She let go and went over to Tatsuki, talking a mile a minute about her new necklace. Ichigo smiled, happy to see her happy, and remembering a time that she wasn't. He lost his smile at that, remembering Sora's death and how he comforted her, one month after his mother's death. Then he smiled again as he watched her smile and laugh with Tatsuki.

"That was a nice thing that you did," he heard Grimmjow say from next to him. He was a Vasto Lorde now.

"What else can I do? It makes them happy and I like to make my friends happy. And I know that Inoue-Chan would be happier with her brother happy, instead of him being unhappy," Ichigo said in a low voice.

Grimmjow nodded.

Ichigo saw Tatsuki walk up to him with a pleading look on her face, a box in her hands. He saw that they were the Amethyst earrings that he'd made, and he smiled. "It looks like they were made for you," he said. The truth was that he had thought of her while making them, so his statement could be true.

She grinned.

He walked up to the counter and the clone punched it in and 'deducted' the amount that Ichigo had 'worked', then he put it in a bag and gave it back.

"Thanks, Ojī. Do this again if they come back in, okay?" Ichigo asked.

The clone nodded.

"What?! What do you mean, 'do this again'?! We can't take away your hard earned money!" Tatsuki protested.

"Yeah!" Orihime agreed.

"And you're not. I just wanted to give you two something. Tatsuki, I missed your Birthday twice, and I missed your Birthday twice, Orihime. Think of this as a Birthday present if you're really uneasy about it. Please? You don't have to come in to buy something too often, if you don't want," he argued.

He didn't know why, but he wanted them to buy his Jewelry. He also remembered a lesson on women that he got from his money. Namely, all women loved Jewelry. So, why were they protesting? He'd never understand girls.

"Just because you missed two Birthdays doesn't mean that you have to make it up by buying us really expensive things!" Tatsuki said.

Ichigo frowned, feeling sad and frustrated. How could he make her understand?

"Tatsuki-Chan, I think that it would hurt his feelings if we don't do so once in a while. I think that the Birthday reason is an excuse. I don't know his real reason, but I can see that he really wants us to accept this gift," Orihime said.

Tatsuki and Ichigo looked startled at her accurate reading.

"Is this true, Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah," he said.

She paused for a moment before she nodded. "Okay, I'll accept it. Thank you," she said.

He grinned. "You're welcome! Both of you!" he said.

Grimmjow snorted. "My little brother, the Lady Killer!" he said.

Ichigo decided to ignore him the best that he could.

III

Ichigo nervously played with the boxes in his hands as he walked up to Tatsuki's house. Since Tatsuki's and Orihime's Birthdays were so close together, they were celebrating them together this year. He really hoped that they liked the gifts that he'd made them, under the guise of three of the gifts for each coming from his dad and sisters. They did come from them, he just made them.

He knocked on the door and walked in, being met by Tatsuki. They smiled at eachother. "Hi, Tatsuki. Happy Birthday!" he said.

"Thanks, Ichigo! Come on in," she said.

"Thanks," he said, going in to set his gifts on the living room table.

He noticed Orihime looking at him from the other side of the room and he smiled at her. "Hi, Orihime. Happy Birthday!" he said.

Her face brightened and she grinned at him. "Thank you, Kurosaki-Kun!" she said.

"You can call me Ichigo. I don't really like formalities," Ichigo said.

He heard a faints snort from outside, where Grimmjow was, followed by, "Understatement!"

If possible, her face brightened even more. "Thank you, Ichigo-Kun!" she said. She looked like he had just given her the best present ever.

He sat down to talk with her while a few other people came in, setting their gifts next to Ichigo's. Tatsuki sat next to them when she was done greeting the guests.

"I really hope that you like my gifts. I made them myself," Ichigo said, nervous again. He had no reason to be, he knew that they liked his Jewelry, but he was. Maybe it was because they knew that he made it this time.

Orihime looked delighted, while Tatsuki looked curious. "You did?" she asked.

He nodded.

She grinned. "Well, now I can't wait to see what it is!" she said.

He smiled back.

After playing some games, and eating cake and ice cream, it was time for the presents to be opened. Most of it was candy. Orihime got Tatsuki a new Brush and Comb set, while Tatsuki got Orihime some hair ties and ribbons. Then they turned to Ichigo's presents. They opened the ones labeled by him first and gasped, eyes wide.

For Orihime, Ichigo made her a set of earrings to go with her necklace, each in different sizes and cuts.

For Tatsuki, he made her a necklace to go with her earrings.

"Ichigo... you made these?" Tatsuki asked breathlessly. Both girls looked at him with curiosity.

He nodded. "Yeah. The Jeweler took me on as an apprentice, so I learned how to make them, and I made these for you two. Do you like them?" he asked, fidgeting.

"No," she said bluntly.

His face fell until she hurried to continue speaking.

"I love it, Ichigo! It's great! It looks like a master made it, it's so beautiful! That it's made by you, a lifelong friend, makes it even more special! I'll always wear it!" Tatsuki said, a big grin on her face, her eyes suspiciously wet, but no tears.

"They're wonderful, Ichigo-Kun! I'll wear a pair every day!" Orihime said happily.

They suited action to words and put them on/in. Then they picked up their next gift. This one said, 'From Karin'. They were pearl bracelets. Tatsuki's was an Ocean Blue, while Orihime's was a Sunrise Orange.

"I didn't know that Pearls came in these colors!" Orihime said, surprised.

"Well, they're pretty rare alright. Still, worth it," Ichigo said. It had taken him a bit of effort to make them into these colors, but he'd done it.

"Tell Karin 'Thank you', alright?" Tatsuki asked.

He nodded with a smile.

They opened Isshin's gift next. They were little statues made from wood, painted in the right colors. Tatsuki's was one of herself in her Karate gear. She was holding a trophy up high, sporting a big grin. Carved in the bottom were the words, 'Karate Queen of Karakura'.

Orihime's was of herself and her brother. Sora held a book open and he was seemingly reading to the younger Orihime, who was snuggled into his side. While Tatsuki was grinning, Orihime was silently crying.

Ichigo panicked. "I'm sorry, Orihime! I didn't know that it would make you sad! You just wanted something of your brother, so we got that made for you! If it upsets you, you don't have to keep it!" he said, eyes wide and sincere.

She shook her head and beamed at him through her tears, hugging the statue to herself. "I love it! It's perfect! This is exactly what we used to do, and I loved every minute of it! Thank you! Thank Isshin-San, too, please!" she said.

He smiled in relief. "Of course!" he said.

"You said that you got these made?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yes, and your next gifts, too. They're from Yuzu," Ichigo said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "These were your ideas, weren't they?" she asked.

Seeing no way out other than lying, and she would see right through that, he nodded. "Yes, but they are from who they say they are," he said.

She smiled. "That's okay! I can't wait to see what the last one is!" she said, picking up the last present.

Orihime reluctantly put her wooden statue down and picked up the last one.

They opened them and gasped again. They were made from colored crystal, and they were figurines. Ichigo noticed instantly how much care they held with them.

Orihime's was a fairy princess in her likeliness with six fairies circling her, each fairy looking different. It was colored exactly like her, with her hair, eyes and skin, but with a different dress. The statue-her was also barefoot. The statue held amazing detail.

"It looks lifelike!" she said in awe.

Tatsuki's was, again, of herself in Karate gear. But this time she was in a ring, with her opponent on the ground, held under her foot. She grinned again and both looked at Ichigo in appreciation.

"These must have taken quite some time to make, getting the colors and features just right," she said.

"Well, it took a little bit of time, yeah. But it was worth it, to make the both of you happy," Ichigo said with a kind smile.

He could hear Grimmjow outside, busting a gut with laughter. He ignored this the best that he could, focusing instead on Tatsuki and Orihime's grateful smiles. For the rest of the party, the two girls often looked at their presents, making sure that they were still there and undamaged.

As he was leaving, Tatsuki stopped him. "Where did you get those statues, Ichigo?" she asked.

"The Sakuroki Statue Store. I can take you both there tomorrow after school. I'm not working tomorrow anyway," he said, smiling.

She nodded and bid him goodnight.

He saw Orihime waiting at the end of the walkway, where he'd asked her to stay so that he could walk her home. He saw Grimmjow standing next to her, guarding her for him.

Ichigo smiled at them. "C'mon, Orihime. Let's get you home," he said with a gentle smile, holding out his hand.

His mother had always said that when walking a Lady home you held their hand, so he was trying to make his mother proud, by following all of her lessons about girls and ladies.

She took his hand with a smile.

He noticed her other hand carrying her presents and he held out a hand to take the bag. "Here, Orihime, let me carry them for you. Mom always said that Gentlemen carry a Lady's things when they're walking together, and I'm a Gentlemen," he said.

She giggled and handed him the bag carefully. "Thank you, Ichigo-Kun," she said with a smile.

"You're welcome, Orihime-Chan. And don't worry, I got the Crystal figurines made with thicker sides than most, so they won't break as easily. Does that help?" he asked.

She nodded with a bright smile. "Yes, it does! Ichigo-Kun, how did you know what my brother looked like when he wasn't dying?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you but the truth. Please don't think that I'm crazy, alright? I can see ghosts. I have always been able to. When you asked him to not leave you, he didn't, not completely. He came back as a ghost, and he didn't leave your side until that day at the Jewelry Store when you picked out that necklace, and had that conversation with Tatsuki.

When you said those things about wanting him to see that you can take care of yourself, wanting him to be happy, saying that the Topaz reminded you of him, and saying what you wished he could hear you say, those words that you wished that you could have said the night he died. When you said those words he went up to Heaven, finally at peace. So I saw what he looked like, and we just guessed his everyday clothes. Sorry if they weren't correct," he said.

She smiled at him and his worried look. "Don't worry! Even if they weren't correct you still put so much effort into getting it right, and I'm grateful!" she said.

He smiled back. "So I was right? We hoped that we were," he said.

"Yes, you were right," she said, giggling.

He smiled wider, feeling happy. He was glad that he'd listened to his family and Zanpakuto and had not stayed hung up on his Mothers death. A big part of that was that he no longer believed himself to be the cause of her death. Now he was free to enjoy life, and smile and laugh, and be happy, like he was right now. He was happy to know that Orihime was happy with his efforts.

Ichigo looked up when Orihime's porch light flickered on. He walked her to her door and waited for her to unlock it before handing her her bag. "Orihime, before I leave, I have a question. How much of your Orphan's Allowance do you use to pay for this place?" he asked.

She looked thoughtful. "About fifty thousand yen a week, I guess," she said.

He kept his anger hidden. That was theft! Not legally, but an orphan only got one hundred thousand yen a week. Add onto that their bills and they had basically nothing left at the end of the week. No wonder why Orihime ate such weird things, and was so thin!

He smiled for her, showing none of his inner thoughts. "Thank you. See you tomorrow, okay? The three of us can eat lunch together!" he said.

She smiled brightly in response and nodded, before shutting her door.

"Grim, can you scout out her Apartment for me? And can I read your memories of it when you get back?" Ichigo asked in a low voice as they left.

"Sure, Ichigo. Be back soon," Grimmjow said, leaving as soon as he finished speaking.

Ichigo used his unique form of High Speed Transportation, Hishundo, which was a mixture of Hirenkyaku, Shunpo, Sonido, Shundo and his speed, which he normally called Flicker, to get home quickly.

"I'm home!" he announced as he walked through the door.

"Welcome home, Ichigo!" Isshin yelled as he attempted to roundhouse kick Ichigo into the wall.

Ichigo simply ducked under the kick and stepped into the kitchen, where he gave Karin and Yuzu a hug.

"Ichi-Nii!" they said, happily greeting him.

"Hi. Did you have fun while I was gone?" he asked.

"No," Karin said bluntly.

Ichigo frowned. "Why not?" he asked.

"You weren't there to play with!" Karin and Yuzu said together. The three of them laughed together.

"Also, Goat Chin was being stupid again!" Karin whispered conspiratorially.

Yuzu giggled and Ichigo chuckled.

"Did you have fun, Ichigo? Did they like our presents?" Isshin asked.

"Yeah, they loved them! I'm glad that we found a place that was so cheap!" Ichigo said.

"Lucky that you had the idea, Ichi-Nii!" Yuzu said.

Ichigo nodded. "I'll be out again tomorrow afternoon," he said.

"I thought that you weren't working," Isshin said.

"I'm not, and I'll be back for dinner. I'm taking Tatsuki and Orihime to Sakuroki's tomorrow so that they can browse. They really liked the statues, so they want to look at some more," Ichigo explained.

Isshin nodded. "Just... spend some time with your family too, alright?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Sure! I'll bring stuff home with me, alright?" he asked.

Karin and Yuzu nodded, but they still seemed sad.

He paused. "Am I really gone that much?" he asked.

They nodded. "I know that you've got work an' stuff, Ichi-Nii, but we really miss you," Karin said.

Ichigo nodded thoughtfully. "How about this, four nights a week I'll help you with your homework, two of those nights I play with you, and the other two I'll help cook and stuff. Is that okay?" he asked.

Their faces brightened. "Really?!" they asked.

"Really," he said, nodding.

"Yeah!" they cheered.

"Are you hungry, Ichigo? Yuzu cooked tonight," Isshin said.

"I'll eat a bit, but I'm pretty full. Can I take some with me in a Bento for lunch tomorrow?" Ichigo asked.

Isshin nodded, heading into the kitchen.

After he ate, Ichigo sat down on the couch to read to Karin and Yuzu. They could read, but they still preferred for him to read to them. They fell asleep as he read to them and he smiled before putting them to bed.

He heard his father upstairs, snoring in his room, so he turned off all the lights, heading to bed himself. He met Grimmjow in his room and saw Grimmjow's memories of Orihime's Apartment.

He scowled. It looked nice on the surface, but only that. He would do something about that. He had an Apartment Complex that he owned via Clone. He would have the Clone send her a letter, inviting her to live there, setting the Rent quite low, and she could live there from now on!

He thanked Grimmjow and went to bed.

III

The next morning he made his Clones, one at a time, each one holding a set of instructions for the day. The one in charge of the Complex would write that letter right away once he got to his office. The one who was the owner of Sakuroki's would make some special figurines for his family.

Thanks to Zangetsu and Mugetsu, or Ossan and Shiro, he knew what Engetsu looked like, both as a blade and as a spirit, so he wanted to give Isshin that.

He was going to give Yuzu a figurine in her likeliness with butterflies flitting on or around her, while standing in a field full of flowers.

He was going to give Karin a miniature soccer field figurine, with two full teams of soccer players, Karin included, and she had the ball.

He then went downstairs to eat breakfast and get his lunch. He found Karin sitting at the table, looking at her math papers with frustration clear on her face.

"What's the problem?" he asked, standing behind her with some toast in his hand.

"I hate this stuff! I can never understand it! How am I supposed to multiply this and then divide it?" she asked.

He sat down next to her and walked her through the steps, but it was clear that she still didn't understand it when they'd finished.

He smiled as he had an idea. "I'll be home by five. I'll help you with this then, okay? It'll be really fun, I promise!" he said.

"Okay, Ichi-Nii," she said doubtfully.

"What's Yuzu having trouble with?" he asked.

"Geography. I can't say that I blame her, it's confusing to me, too," she said.

"When I get back we'll have fun while I help you with this stuff," he repeated.

She nodded again, still not looking convinced.

He looked at the time and headed out the door. "See you later, Karin!" he said.

"Yeah! Thanks for the help, Ichi-Nii!" she called after him.

"You're welcome!" he called back.

He wrote down a list of what he would need for that night as he walked and then he hurried to school. He got there just as the bell rang for the first time. He hurried up to his classroom and sat down in his seat, waving at Tatsuki and Orihime as he did so. At lunch he sat with them, and Orihime looked excited about something.

"What is it, Orihime?" Tatsuki asked curiously.

"I got a letter this morning from another Apartment Complex! It said that they took in orphans and set them at a low rate. They heard about me from an unnamed source and they offered to let me live there for five thousand yen a week!" Orihime said.

"That's great news, but be careful. It might be a trap!" Tatsuki warned.

"It's not. I told them about her. This place is genuine, I promise," Ichigo spoke up.

They looked at them. "First the jewelry, then our presents, and now this? Do you ever stop with your miracles?" Tatsuki asked, shocked.

"No, but they're not miracles, either. I'm just helping my friends. And it makes you happy, that's the only reason that I need," he said.

Orihime hugged him. "Thank you, Ichigo-Kun! You've really helped me out! I couldn't afford much before this," she said.

He smiled as he hugged her back. "Well, now you can afford much more, I promise," he said.

She nodded as she let go.

III

Ichigo came home pulling a wagon loaded with boxes. It would have looked odd if he came home carrying them, so he made the wagon.

"What's all that, Ichi-Nii?" Karin asked curiously.

"The supplies that I need to help you learn and have fun!" Ichigo said with a grin.

"Okay, but what does flour have to do with this? And this cookbook?" she asked.

"Well, by doubling a recipe you learn Fractions. By figuring out how many cookies each batch would make, you learn Multiplication. By dividing the cookies between us, you learn Division! By playing Monopoly, you learn how to use money. By playing Risk, you learn Geography. By playing Knowledge, you learn things about different subjects. By playing Clue, you learn deductive reasoning skills. By playing Scrabble, you learn how to spell. Get it?" Ichigo asked with a smile.

She smiled back. "That does sound like fun! Can we play soon?" she asked.

"Sure! But first, here, open this," he said, handing her a wrapped package.

She opened it carefully and gasped at what was inside. She pulled out a soccer field from the wrappings to get a better look at it.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

It was about a foot long and six inches wide, with the people one inch tall, each in full color, along with the field and goalposts.

"It's beautiful, Ichi-Nii! This is for me?" she asked.

He nodded.

She set it carefully on the table and hugged him, hard. He chuckled and hugged her back.

"I love it! Thank you so much!" she said, a big grin on her face.

She pulled away and inspected the figures. "Wow! There's me, and all of my teammates! And there's the team that plays against us most often! How did you get them to do this?" she asked.

"Well, I draw a lot, so I drew one of your soccer games and had this done," he said.

"It's so lifelike!" she said.

"What is?" Yuzu asked, coming into the kitchen.

Karin pointed and Yuzu inspected it. "Wow! Now I'm jealous!" she said.

"Don't be. Here's yours," Ichigo said, holding out hers. It was also done in full color.

"Wow, it's so pretty! You're the best Big Brother ever, Nii-San!" Yuzu said, a big, beaming smile on her face as she looked up at him.

"Yeah, I agree!" Karin said.

"What's going on in here? Wow! Those are really pretty! Ichigo got those for you?" Isshin asked as he stepped through the door, done with work for the day.

"Yeah!" the twins said.

"Um, this is yours, Dad. A man with black hair showed me a picture of this, and I had to get this made for you," Ichigo said, hesitantly handing Isshin his.

Isshin carefully unwrapped it and seemed stunned at what he found. It was Engetsu, holding his sword. "This is... really well done. Did the man happen to say his name?" he asked.

"No," Ichigo said.

He was interested to hear Isshin mutter names under his breath. "Love, or Tessai?"

Isshin then smiled. "Well, I love it! Thank you, Ichigo!" he said with a smile.

Ichigo smiled back. "You're welcome, Dad," he said.

He then started three batches of cookies that would make two dozen each, working Karin and Yuzu through each step. When the cookies were done, they were divided between the four of them.

After eating cookies and drinking lots of milk, the family of four went to play Risk to help Yuzu with her Geography troubles. When the game was done, Ichigo made dinner with the twins helping him. They went to bed very happy, grateful that they still had eachother, even if Masaki was gone.

III

 **So, to those of you who got this far, thank you for enduring that. I originally wrote this at the request of my brother, who wanted to read an Overpowered Ichigo story, one that wasn't also a Time travel story. I wasn't going to Publish it, but at the encouragement of my Beta, and friend, Aleksej36, I did.**

 **If you can think of any way it can be improved, please tell me. By Chapter 4 it will be caught up to the Start of Canon. Also, it may look like this will be a Harem story, but it won't be. Either I'm sorry, or you're welcome, but I didn't want to write a Harem story, because I suck at those. I just can't make it believable.**

 **Also, I _know_ that Grimmjow is way OOC, but there is a reason for that. In Canon, he paid his debt to Orihime by rescuing her from Loly and Melony. Here he is paying his debt to Ichigo, and he became kind by living in a home with a kind family. There's also one other reason, but that will be explained in another chapter. **

**Let me know if there are any scenes that I missed that you would like to see. I'll post them as a Side-Story.**

 **Anyway, that's enough of this long Authors Note. See ya next time!**

 **Aisu.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Okay, so thanks to your Reviews, I decided to post this chapter early. I was gonna post it next week, but I'll do so now.**

 **Also, I realized that I hadn't done this last chapter, so I'll do so now.**

 **I do not own Bleach, Tite Kubo does. Unless he suddenly became a girl, there is little chance that I am Tite Kubo.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

" **Ichigo, why do you not try for Bankai?"** Ossan asked one day while they were sparring with the eleven year old.

"Because that means forcibly projecting you from my soul, and I won't force you into anything!" Ichigo answered fiercely.

Ossan and Shiro looked touched and surprised. They nodded to eachother, then looked at Ichigo. **"Well, that pretty much solidifies us teaching you Bankai. Listen closely, Ichigo. There are two ways to learn Bankai. The faster, but weaker, way is by forcibly projecting the spirit from your soul. The longer, but much stronger, way is by gaining a good relationship with your Zanpakuto. I say that the longer way is stronger because the Zanpakuto is more likely to tell you all of the ways that they can be used in Shikai and Bankai, therefore making you stronger. Understand?"** Ossan asked.

Ichigo nodded. "But I can use my Shikai powers in my Sealed state. Why is that?" he asked.

" **That is because you are so familiar with our powers that you don't need to activate Shikai to use them. It is our hope that you become so familiar with our Bankai powers that you can use them in Shikai,"** Ossan said.

Ichigo nodded firmly. "I will! I promise!" he said.

" **Good, "** Ossan and Shiro said together.

III

Ichigo got home before five O'clock. It was the day before his sister's Birthday. He had had a long discussion with his Dad the day before on what he could give to the twins for their Birthday. He had the perfect gifts, but they were at Orihime's Apartment for now. She would bring them over the next day, that way the surprise wouldn't be ruined.

"I'm home!" Ichigo called, walking through the door and dodging his Dad's kick to the face as easily as breathing.

"Ichi-Nii!" Karin and Yuzu cried, slamming into him with a hug. He hugged them back with a smile.

"Ichi-Nii, can we work on our math again?!" Karin asked.

"Can we play with the Madlibs?" Yuzu asked.

"We can do both! Dad, get out the Madlibs book while we find a recipe to make!" Ichigo said.

"You got it, Son! I'm so proud of you for doing so much for this family!" Isshin said, rushing off to the living room.

"Crackpot," Grimmjow snorted.

"You said it," Karin replied.

Grimmjow and Ichigo froze. "You can hear me? You can see me, too?" Grimmjow asked. Grimmjow was now an Arrancar, the highest level that a Hollow could be.

"Yeah, we can hear you. I've also been able to see you for awhile, but Yuzu can barely see you," Karin replied.

"It's like looking through a fuzzy TV screen," Yuzu added helpfully.

"Who are you, anyway?" Karin asked as they headed into the kitchen.

"My name is Grimmjow Jagerjaquez. I am an Arrancar and Ichigo's bodyguard. I've been so for a couple of years now," Grimmjow said.

"So you protect Ichi-Nii? Thank you, Grimm-Nii!" Yuzu said, smiling at him.

Grimmjow smiled back. "You're welcome, Yuzu," he said.

Isshin came back with the Madlibs book and sat down in a kitchen chair while the siblings called out words while they baked and made dinner. Grimmjow was made to fetch things, but he had fun doing so. He also called out words and soon Isshin started to call out Grimmjow's name for his turn, in spite of not being able to see or hear him.

Ichigo had at first doubted his father's inability to see or hear ghosts, but Ossan and Shiro had explained to him what Isshin did to save his wife, and Ichigo believed. Ichigo had always been a Momma's boy, so to hear what Isshin had done for his Mom made Ichigo feel very grateful to him, and so he tolerated Isshin far more than he used to.

While Karin and Yuzu went to bed, Ichigo, Isshin and Grimmjow decorated the house.

"So, Ichigo, what exactly is an Arrancar?" Isshin asked.

"It's a type of Hollow, a new evolution," Ichigo answered casually.

Isshin froze for a split second, before he went back to hanging up the decorations. "And are they dangerous?" he asked.

"They can be. Most are, but Grimmjow's not. I helped him when he died, but he became a Hollow when the Hollow that ate him turned into a Menos Grande and he took over. Soon after, he came back here to be my bodyguard and to protect me, saying that he had an unpaid debt to repay. Soon we became like brothers. And don't worry, he no longer feels hungry, not really, though he can still eat food," Ichigo explained.

Isshin noticeably relaxed, not seeming to think that Ichigo shouldn't be explaining things as if Isshin knew all about Hollows, and didn't think that he should ask for more details to keep up appearances. "So, Grimmjow, what's your favorite food?" Isshin asked.

"Souls," Grimmjow said with a straight face.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo scolded.

Grimmjow busted out laughing. "Okay, okay! Don't get your panties in a twist! I happen to like Quasadeas, with Buffalo Chicken," he said.

Ichigo relaid this to Isshin, who nodded.

The three males talked a bit more as they worked, before the father and son duo went to bed, leaving Grimmjow to watch for the twins, who would most likely try to sneak down to see what was gotten for them.

III

Ichigo woke up the next morning to see a note next to his bed. On it was a request and under it were two pictures. Ichigo grinned and easily carried out the request, forming boxes around them and ending it with wrapping paper. He then quickly went downstairs and put them with the rest. As he went to get breakfast he saw Grimmjow signing them with a smile.

"Thanks, Ichigo," Grimmjow said.

"You're welcome, Grim. It was no problem," Ichigo said.

"Well, I know that it's technically not hard for you to do, but the fact that you did it means a lot," Grimmjow said.

"Are you sure? Because it feels kinda like cheating to do it this way instead of the way everyone else does it," Ichigo said.

"Even if you do it this way, you still made it, so it's still special," Grimmjow said.

Ichigo smiled. "Thanks, Grim. You know, I've noticed that I can sense where what I make is. It's kind of odd," he said.

"Huh. Could be useful. Can you teleport yourself to where they are, too?" Grimmjow asked.

"I don't know. I'll have to try it out tomorrow," Ichigo said.

They fell silent as they heard Isshin's bedroom door opened. Ichigo got ready a cup of tea the way he knew Isshin liked it and had it waiting in front of Isshin's spot when Isshin came down.

"Thanks, Ichigo," Isshin said, sitting down and sipping it.

He looked up as a plate of food was set in front of him by Grimmjow. "...Thank you, Grimmjow. No offense, but that's a little creepy. A floating plate, that is," he said.

Ichigo and Grimmjow laughed, making Isshin grin a bit, even if he couldn't hear Grimmjow.

"Grim, help me make the twin's breakfast, please," Ichigo requested.

"No problem. What are we making them?" Grimmjow asked.

"Pancakes, Waffles, Bacon, Sausage, Biscuits, Gravy and Tea," Ichigo said.

"Homemade?" Grimmjow asked as he saw Ichigo getting the flour and sugar.

"Yeah," Ichigo answered.

Grimmjow went to help with the ingredients.

The twins came downstairs when the air started to smell like bacon, sausage, and other good stuff.

"Morning, Dad, Ichi-Nii, Grim-Nii!" they said as they sat down. Plates were set down in front of them almost immediately.

"Morning, Karin, Yuzu. Happy Birthday!" Ichigo said with a large smile.

"It's your ninth, right?" Grimmjow asked.

Karin nodded.

"Oh, my baby girls! You're growing up so fast! Soon I'll be walking you down the aisle!" Isshin said, crying.

It startled Ichigo to see that a good amount of those tears were real. "Dad, are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

"I just keep thinking about how much Masaki has missed, and how proud she would be with all of you!" Isshin said.

The atmosphere turned saddened for a minute as they all remembered her, or the stories that they'd heard about her.

"Hey, Mom wouldn't want us to be sad, right? She wants us to be happy! So let's make this day a great day to remember, okay?!" Ichigo asked with a smile on his face.

"Right!" the others said.

Somehow, Grimmjow didn't know how, but somehow he had become a part of this family all in a single night, and he couldn't be happier.

III

At noon, the Kurosaki family sat around the living room table, with the presents on the table, except for two. With the family were Tatsuki and Orihime, each of them holding a box on their laps.

Karin and Yuzu grabbed a present from the table, these from Isshin. Karin opened hers and found a new cookbook. She flipped through it and found that they not only looked and sounded delicious, but they went well with her math lessons with Ichigo!

"Thank you, Dad!" she said, grinning.

"No problem, Baby girl! I thought that you'd like it!" Isshin said, grinning back.

Yuzu opened hers and saw, not only three Madlibs books, but a Geography Activity book.

She smiled. "Thank you, Daddy! I love it!" she said.

"I'm glad! You're welcome, my other Baby girl!" Isshin said with another grin.

These gifts were set aside as the next ones were grabbed. These were from Grimmjow.

"Who's Grimmjow?" Tatsuki asked.

"A friend. He's a ghost, but he asked me to get these for them," Ichigo explained.

Tatsuki nodded, knowing about Ichigo's ability to see ghosts.

The twins opened their gifts. Yuzu simply stared at the beauty of her gift. It was mostly wood, with tiny crystal butterflies resting on the tree. The wood was shaped into a tulip tree, and the different colored and patterned butterflies were resting on the tree, some looking as if they were about to take flight again.

Karin gazed at hers with a small smile on her face. It was a crystal statue of Ichigo reading to Karin and Yuzu on a couch, with Isshin leaning over the back with a grin. It was also fully colored.

"Thanks, Grim-Nii," Karin said, giving him a smile.

"Yes, thank you!" Yuzu said, also smiling at him.

"You're welcome, you two!" Grimmjow said with a soft smile.

"He's here?" Tatsuki asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Ichigo said with a nod.

Grimmjow picked up an open box and Tatsuki and Orihime gaped.

"That's him. He's picking it up," Karin said, matter-of-factly.

"Okay, I now believe," Tatsuki said in a faint voice.

"You told the truth about Sora-Nii!" Orihime said softly.

"Of course I did," Ichigo said, equally soft.

"Thank you for helping him," she said.

"It was all you. You said the words that made him at peace," he said.

"You said something to him. I saw you that day. I thought that you were talking to yourself, but you were talking to him. I know it," she argued.

"Yeah, I was reassuring him that you meant what you said," he said.

She smiled at him. "Well, thank you very much," she said.

He smiled back. "You're welcome," he said.

"Hey, open the one from Orihime and me next!" Tatsuki said with a grin.

"It's a joint gift, from Tatsuki-Chan and myself to you two!" Orihime said.

Karin picked up the boxed gift and Yuzu took off the wrapping paper, then they both opened it. Inside, the box was full of books.

"We know that you like Ichigo reading to you, so we got you plenty of them so that they'll last for awhile," Tatsuki explained.

"Thanks, Tatsuki, Orihime!" Karin said.

"Yes, thank you so much!" Yuzu said with a big smile.

The last presents left were the boxes in Tatsuki's and Orihime's laps.

"Ne, Tatsuki, I have a question. Why is that box moving?" Karin asked, pointing to the one on Tatsuki's lap.

Tatsuki grinned as the boxes were handed over. "Why don't you find out?" she asked.

Karin and Yuzu took them, slightly wary. All of that disappeared when they read that it was from Ichigo.

'Wow, they have so much faith in me,' Ichigo thought with wonder.

" _ **You've never hurt them before, or pulled means pranks on them. Why wouldn't they trust you?"**_ Shiro asked.

'You have a point,' Ichigo conceded.

As Karin opened hers, a wide, disbelieving smile seized itself upon her features. Yuzu let out a happy squeal as she picked up out of the box a female Calico kitten. Karin carefully pulled out of the box an Irish Wolfhound puppy. It was a boy, but he'd been fixed.

She hugged him close to her chest and looked at Ichigo and Isshin. She meant to say 'thank you', but what came out instead was, "I thought that Dad said no?"

Isshin chuckled. "Ichigo and I talked it out, and in the end I changed my mind. Take good care of them, okay?" he asked.

The twins nodded. "Of course! Thank you!" they said in unison.

"I'm naming her Yuki!" Yuzu declared after thinking for a moment.

"I'll name him Rollo," Karin said a moment later.

"Good names. I have all of their stuff in the attic. I put it there yesterday morning," Ichigo said.

"So that's what you were doing! We wondered!" Yuzu said.

Karin nodded in agreement with Yuzu's words.

"Now it's time for cake and ice cream!" Isshin said, excitement clear in his voice.

"Yeah!" the kids said.

Seeing the happy smiles on Karin and Yuzu's faces, Ichigo knew that he'd succeeded in making his family happy. He hoped that his family would always be this happy, and would never fall apart.

III

The next day, Ichigo was in his special Training Grounds, training. This was the same field that he'd come to for his first day of training. He realized that nobody could feel him training here, so he was never afraid to train to his limits. Today he was trying out the idea that Grimmjow had suggested, the teleporting to where each item he'd made was.

So far, no luck. He knew that he could do it, Ossan had said that it was possible, though he'd forgotten about that use until Grimmjow had suggested it, so he _could_ make it happen! He just hadn't gotten it yet.

Out of nowhere, two Hollows ran into the field, carrying a smaller Hollow, and they almost ran into him. The only reason that they didn't was because he had instinctually teleported himself to another item. He decided to focus on that later, as he turned his attention to the three Hollows that Grimmjow had stopped.

"Who are you and why were you trying to kill my little brother?" Grimmjow growled out in deadly tones.

"Please, I swear, we weren't! We just noticed a blank spot in the forest and thought to hide Nel there! We didn't know if we were being hunted, so we were trying to be fast! We didn't know that either of you would be here! Please don't kill Nel! You can kill us if it pleases you, but don't kill her!" one said, obviously frightened.

Ichigo walked up to the three Hollows, ignoring Grimmjow's warning hand. He saw a childish female Hollow with a cartoonish skull mask on her head. She was hugging the other two Hollows, obviously scared.

She turned her head to look at him as he approached and he felt like he was punched in the gut as she looked at him with fear. It was like looking at Karin and Yuzu, if they looked at him like they were afraid of him. He became protective of this 'Nel' immediately.

He knelt down next to her and gave her a gentle smile. "Hello, Nel-Chan. I'm Ichigo and this is Grimmjow. We'll take care of you from now on," he said in a gentle and soft voice.

Her face lost some of her fear and became curious instead. "You will, Itsyugo?" she asked, eyes wide as she took in his kind and trustworthy face.

"Yes. I'll be your big brother from now on, okay?" Ichigo asked.

"You're not gonna make me leave Pesche and Dondachokka, are you, Itsyugo?" she asked, unsure.

"Of course not, Nel-Chan. If they're your family then I won't make them go away. We'll all be one big family together!" he said.

She smiled. "Thank you, Itsyugo-Nii! I'm tired. I go to sleep now, with all of my big brothers!" she said. Then she suited actions to words and fell asleep.

Ichigo turned to 'Pesche' and 'Dondachokka' with a frown. "Her mask is cracked. You don't have masks. What happened to the three of you?" he asked.

"That is a long tale, Ichigo-Sama, but we will tell it. It started with a man named Sosuke Aizen and ends with two Arrancar named Nnoitra and Szayelaporro," Pesche began.

When the two Arrancar were done telling their story, Ichigo and Grimmjow were shocked. "You're telling me that this little child, who looks no older than two, is really a full grown woman?!" Grimmjow asked.

"Yes. When her mask was cracked, something happened to her that made her turn into this child, without any memories at all," Dondachokka said.

Ichigo looked at the sleeping form of Nel and decided. She may be a full grown woman in a child's body, but she had no memories, so she was a child. Besides, he had already told her that he would be her Big Brother, so he would keep his word. He didn't care who – or what – she was, she was now his little sister, no matter what happened, and he would make her childhood an enjoyable one.

He held out his arms for her and Pesche carefully handed her over, still looking slightly wary. Ichigo smiled down at Nel. "I don't care who or what she is, she's my little sister now and I won't let anything happen to her. I will take care of her!" he declared.

The three Arrancar that were awake looked at him, deciding. Grimmjow decided first and he made a fist. He placed it over his heart. "Then I will, too! Don't worry, Nel, I'll be a good Big Brother, I promise!" he swore.

Pesche and Dondachokka nodded as well. "Thank you, we will help as well. She is our responsibility, afterall," Pesche said.

Dondachokka nodded in agreement.

Ichigo handed her back and continued training.

III

Ichigo walked through the door to his home, Nel in his arms. "I'm home!" he called.

"Welcome home!" Isshin called, walking into the hall a moment later.

Ichigo blinked in surprise. "What, no 'welcome home' kick?" he asked.

"It scares the animals when I act like that, so I'm stopping," Isshin said with a shrug.

"And I still have serious doubts about that," Karin said as they walked into the kitchen.

She was rubbing Rollo's belly while feeding him a few treats. She blinked when she saw Nel, Pesche and Dondachokka there with Ichigo and Grimmjow. "Who are they, Ichi-Nii? More people like Grim-Nii? Why's she so little?" she asked.

Isshin stiffened a bit.

"Relax, they're harmless to us, and to everyone else. Unless you threaten Nel-Chan here. These two are Pesche and Dondachokka, and this is Nel. We met today while Pesche and Dondachokka were finding a place to keep Nel safe, since she's so young and all. After talking a bit I became Nel-Chan's Onii-Chan. They're staying with us now," Ichigo answered.

Karin grinned and stood up. "Cool! So I'm a Bis Sister now?" she asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Nel-Chan, this is your Onee-Chan, Karin. That's your other Onee-Chan over there, Yuzu," he said.

"Hi, Karin-Nee, Yuzu-Nee," Nel said around her thumb, which was in her mouth.

"She's so cute!" Yuzu said with a smile.

Ichigo carried Nel into the living room and set her down. Pesche set down the box that he was carrying that held toys for Nel.

"Here, Nel-Chan, your toys," Ichigo said.

She gave him a big grin and hugged his leg. "Thank you, Ichi-Nii," she said before going off to play.

"Okay, Karin, Yuzu, Pesche and Dondachokka are our Big Brothers now, too, as well as Grimmjow," Ichigo said.

"Okay! Hi, Pesche-Nii, Donda-Nii!" Yuzu said.

"Hi, Nii-San's!" Karin said.

Ichigo clapped his hands with a smile. "Now, who wants to play Monopoly?" he asked.

"I get the Moneybag!" Grimmjow said.

"I get the Hat!" Karin said.

"I get the Car!" Yuzu said.

"I'll take the wheelbarrow," Isshin said.

"How do you play?" Pesche asked as Isshin grabbed the game.

Ichigo grabbed the instructions from the box and handed them to Pesche, who started to read them with Dondachokka, trying to memorize them.

Ichigo set up the game and, once the two new to the game read the rules, they began to play.

III

Time Skip – Easter.

"Ichigo, I don't get it. What are we doing? We didn't do this last year!" Grimmjow said as he hid small, plastic eggs filled with candy while Ichigo was putting up little slips of paper that held clues as to where the eggs were.

"No, because I didn't think of it, and because we now have Nel-Chan with us, and she's two. Or, rather, she has the mentality of a two year old. I want her to enjoy her childhood while she can," Ichigo answered.

Grimmjow stopped for a moment, thinking, before nodding decisively and going back to hiding the eggs. "I understand. This family took me in because of you, and I can never repay that, can never repay _you_. If she and the other two are now a part of this family then I will do anything for them. I will do anything to make her life a happy one!" he said.

Ichigo nodded. "Thank you," he said.

"Just one thing, Ichigo. Have you thought about what will happen when you bring our family back to Soul Society?" Grimmjow asked seriously.

"Yes. Since you are not Blood Relations, I will take you four on as Retainers. They can't do anything to you then, unless they wish to die. Unless, of course, you betrayed our family. Which you obviously wouldn't," Ichigo said.

Grimmjow snorted derisively. "Of course not! But they would probably think so, wouldn't they?" he asked rhetorically.

Then he blinked as a thought made itself apparent. "Say, Ichigo, when are you going to train Karin and Yuzu?" he asked.

Ichigo frowned. "You're right, I should. I just don't want them to get hurt," he said.

"Ossan and Shiro don't want you to get hurt, but they train you so that you don't get hurt by somebody who does mean you harm, same with me training with you. So it will be with you training them. You don't want them to be hurt when you go to Soul Society, do you?" Grimmjow asked.

Ichigo frowned even more, but out of defeat. "Yeah, you're right, I don't. Fine, I'll tell them the truth soon and I'll train them. I will make them strong enough that they won't get hurt when they fight for real," he said.

"Are you gonna tell Dad that you know?" Grimmjow asked.

Pesche and Dondachokka walked into the room. "I think that it's best if you do, because he's standing in the Hallway, listening to you. Best to explain the whole conversation," Pesche said.

Their eyes widened and Ichigo finally sensed Isshin in the shadows of the hallway. "Dad, you might as well come in and I'll explain," he said, turning to the entryway.

Isshin stepped in with an unreadable expression. "I think that you should. I can hear most of your conversation now, thanks to the Reiatsu of the five of you leaking into me, speeding up my recovery by a great deal, but I didn't understand all of it. When did you find out about this stuff? Who are Ossan and Shiro? And Grim, why are you calling me Dad? How long have you been calling me that?" he asked.

"I'll go first. I've been calling you Dad out loud for about a month now, but for about a year now in my head. As for why, you might not have been able to see me, but you act like my father, so I've called you that. If you want me to stop, I will," Grimmjow said with a sad smile.

"No, you can call me that. I've always wanted more children, so I'm glad that I get to have that wish fulfilled. Now, Ichigo?" Isshin asked.

"I found out two days after Mom's death. Shiro and Ossan told me the truth. As for who they are, they're my Zanpakuto. Their real names are Zangetsu, Ossan, and Mugetsu, Shiro. They're not just my Zanpakuto though. Ossan is also the Quincy King, or a memory of him at any rate, merged with Zangetsu. Shiro is the Hollow that tried to kill you and Mom. He's merged with Mugetsu. He's sorry about that, by the way. The trying to kill you and Mom thing, I mean," Ichigo said.

He was nervous. What would his father think of him now? Isshin was silent for a long time, making the three others in the living room nervous. Why was he being so quiet?

At last, he spoke. "Why didn't you just tell me sooner, Ichigo? When _were_ you going to tell me?" Isshin asked, sounding slightly hurt.

"I was going to tell you when I made enough money to get you back to your Royal status, along with the strength to get us there. I didn't tell you sooner because... I was afraid," Ichigo finished in a small voice, head hung.

He heard Isshin walk across the room to get to him. When Isshin raised his hand, Ichigo flinched, actually fearing a strike from his dad, and knowing that he wouldn't avoid it, because he deserved it.

Instead, Isshin placed two fingers under Ichigo's chin, lifting his head so that their eyes could meet. "Why were you afraid?" he asked in a soft voice.

"I feared that once you learned the truth of where my gifts came from that you wouldn't like them anymore, because I didn't spend money on them, or any effort to make them. I was afraid that you would hate me once you learned that I'd lied to you about how I got them," Ichigo said.

"What do you mean? You didn't do anything bad, did you?" Isshin asked, blood draining from his face as he thought of the possibilities.

"I don't think so. I did work for the ability to make them, afterall," Ichigo said, innocently confused.

Isshin saw this and nearly sagged in relief. He got back on track. "Ichigo, it would have been years making and selling Jewelry to get us back to Royalty status. Your efforts help, but if you keep spending money on gifts, then you'll never get there. I know that you want us to be happy, but what about you? Don't you want to be happy? You give everything to make us happy, do anything to keep us there, but what about you?" he asked.

"But that's just it, Dad! I don't spend money on them! I don't spend money on the materials, or the effort, time and work to make them! I'm being cheap! And making and keeping my family happy makes me happy! The only thing that I actually spend money on are the meats and dairy groceries! The rest I made myself! You should be made because I didn't actually buy them or make them the regular way!" Ichigo said, eyes desperately trying to make Isshin understand him.

"I don't understand, Ichigo. How did you get them?" Isshin asked.

Grimmjow was massaging his temples, irked that Ichigo still felt this way, despite months of telling him otherwise.

Ichigo never got the chance to answer, as from upstairs they heard a, "Rollo! No!" from Karin and a loud crash, followed by breaking crystal. Everyone raced up the stairs, Ichigo leading them. He opened the door to see a crying Karin, broken crystal figurines, and a whining Rollo, who was trying to comfort her.

Ichigo knelt next to Karin, wrapping her in a hug. "I-I'm sorry, Ichi-Nii! I tr-tried to stop him, but he was too fast! All of your money and effort, gone!" she wailed, sobbing into his shirt.

He stroked her hair comfortingly. "It doesn't matter, I can fix them! I made them in the first place, so I can fix them! See, watch!" Ichigo said, pointing a hand towards the broken crystal and making the figurines fix themselves, melding back together as if they'd never been broken.

Karin's jaw dropped, but then she crawled over to them and frantically checked them over. "They're not broken! You fixed them! How did you do that?!" she asked.

Ichigo checked to see that Yuzu was awake and then corralled them to the living room. He took a deep breath and then told everyone the full story of his life since he'd found out about his Zanpakutos.

When he was done, Isshin was looking at him with compassion and understanding, while Karin and Yuzu were looking at him with awe and happiness. None of them seemed angry at him, or as if they hated him.

"You're not mad? You don't care that I didn't spend any money on your gifts?" he asked in a small voice.

"No, you did even better. You made our gifts yourself. You may not have done it the long way, or the usual way, but you poured yourself into them, and that makes them even more special! I'm even more grateful now, and I love them even more, too!" Karin declared.

Yuzu nodded in agreement. "Me, too! I love you, Onii-Chan! You're the best!" she said.

Isshin smiled. "I'm proud of you, Son. You've done far more than I'd have thought. Good job," he said with pride.

Ichigo broke down crying, the stress and tension of the past two years leaving him at last. All three of his sisters hugged him, with Isshin pulling the group into himself. They were honest with eachother now, and nothing could break them apart.

On the table appeared a statue of the five of them, as seen from the eyes of Grimmjow, and made by Ossan. "That's going on the Mantle," Isshin declared when he saw it as they broke apart. The four children agreed wholeheartedly.

Suddenly, Ichigo grinned. "Okay! Time to search for the eggs! Here are your clues!" he said, handing each girl a piece of paper.

Each had their own set of clues, that way they all had an even amount of eggs and candy.

"And Easter Egg Hunt?" Karin asked dully, staring at the clue blankly.

"If you don't want to do it, you don't have to. I just thought-" Ichigo's babble got cut off by two very tight hugs.

"Thank you, Ichi-Nii! We haven't done this since Mom died! Thank you so much!" Karin said, voice sounding choked. Likely, as Yuzu couldn't even speak, she just nodded her head.

Then, looking energized, they set off to search for their eggs, Nel already being helped by Isshin.

"Looks like you're not just making Nel's childhood a happy one, but theirs, too. You're a great Older Brother, Ichigo, and I look up to you," Grimmjow said in a low voice.

Ichigo nodded thoughtfully. He wasn't worried about missing their search for the eggs. He had some clones hidden in every corner of the house, watching for him. They were also there to help if the girls needed it.

He smiled, feeling himself truly being able to heal from the wounds dealt to him, either by himself, or by others.

Dinner that night was a cheerful affair, everyone talking and laughing. Though only able to hear at a low tone, Isshin could join in as well, finally able to hear the Arrancars, even if he couldn't see them.

III

 **Okay, if you still haven't abandoned this story, thank you! As always, I appreciate your support and I look forward to your Reviews.**

 **If anyone would like to draw Pictures for this story depicting Ichigo's family, I would be grateful. It's not necessary, but I'd like it.**

 **Once again, thank you!**

 **Aisu.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello, and welcome to the next Chapter of A Soul Reaper's Requiem! I won't bore you with anymore of this Author's Note, so enjoy the Chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Though, even if I did, I would probably write Bleach Fanfictions. Exploring new options and all that.**

Chapter 2

Ichigo was working at the Jewelry store one afternoon, when a blond haired man walked in. he recognized the man from Shiro's memories. Kisuke Urahara, the man's name was. Kisuke seemed surprised to see Ichigo behind the counter, but hid it quickly.

To be fair, Ichigo didn't need to be working anymore, now that his family knew the truth, but he enjoyed working. Besides, several people came in just because he was there. They liked the novelty of a polite young man who helped out at a Jewelry store, didn't break or steal anything, and who knew what he was talking about when it came to Jewelry. Besides, he could just leave a clone at home to play with his sisters, now that they knew the truth.

For Kisuke to be surprised to see him meant that Isshin hadn't told Kisuke about Ichigo working there.

Ichigo smiled politely. "Hello, Sir. How can I help you today? Looking for anything specific?" he asked.

"Hello, Kurosaki-Kun! Do you have any rings in size ten?" Kisuke asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Right this way, Sir. I hope that these suit your interests. If not, either my Boss or myself can make you one to suit your tastes. Just give us a detailed description, or show us a picture, and we will make it in an hour, or it's free!" he said.

Kisuke smiled and he looked as if he was holding in laughter at Ichigo's professional talk. "Thank you. I'm looking for a ring for Proposal. Hmm, all of these look very nice, but none seem to be right. I was hoping for a white platinum ring, with a silver inscription, and three small jewels in the center, one Amethyst, one Topaz, and one Orange Tiger's Eye," he said.

Ichigo took notes and made a rough drawing of it. "Like this?" he asked, showing it to Kisuke.

Kisuke smiled. "Exactly like that! That's pretty good!" he said.

Okay, so Ichigo had cheated and had taken a look into Kisuke's mind to see what he was imagining, and had used his powers to make the drawing appear on the page while he made it look like he was drawing, but still!

"And the Inscription, Sir?" he asked.

"For Ever And Ever," Kisuke said with a nostalgic smile on his face.

Ichigo didn't pry, as it was obviously a private saying. "Will this script do? Or would you prefer a different one?" he asked, showing him how he'd written the script.

Kisuke's eyes widened in surprise. That was exactly the script that he wanted! Wow, this kid was good! He smiled. "Perfect! You said done in an hour?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Or it's free," he repeated.

"How soon can you get it done? I'll pay extra," Kisuke offered.

"It's for Yoruichi, right?" Ichigo asked.

"How did you know? Wait, Isshin told you about us?" Kisuke asked, surprised.

"I know. I can get it done in minutes using Kido. Wait here, and don't worry about paying extra. What the Boss doesn't know won't hurt him," Ichigo said, neglecting to mention that he _was_ the Boss.

Kisuke gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks. How much will it be?" he asked.

"All customized rings are five hundred thousand yen, no matter their size, purity, or type," Ichigo lied promptly. But there was nobody else in the store, so he could get away with saying it.

Kisuke gave him a knowing smile. "The real price, Kurosaki-Kun. I don't think that your Boss would be happy if he knew that I didn't pay the full price," he said.

"I'll tell him, like I always do, and then he'll take the payment from a piece of Jewelry that I made. Simple as that," Ichigo said.

Kisuke frowned. "I don't like being in someone else's debt," he said.

"You're not. Consider our family even for what you did for my parents," Ichigo said.

"That was squared a while back, back when they became like my brother and sister. I'm still in your debt," Kisuke said.

Ichigo's clone walked into the room, coming out of the back of the shop at a mental prod from Ichigo. "I heard everything. Hello, Sir, I'm Higochi Kirosaku, the owner of this place. Any friend of Ichigo is a friend of mine. Now, let me solve this little squabble. If Ichigo makes the ring, then you pay him. If he says to only pay five hundred thousand, then that's his choice and his money lost. But I can understand the want to help a friend or family member in need, so charge however little you want, Ichigo. And you, Sir, will let him," he said.

Kisuke deflated while Ichigo grinned. "Five hundred yen upon completion, please, Uncle! Of course, you could always just take the ring and run, and I won't send anyone after you!" he said.

Kisuke sent him a dirty look. "I'll pay the five hundred thousand," he said.

Ichigo grinned and shook his head. "Nope! Think of this as a wedding present! What do you want for a wedding ring?" he asked.

He caught a picture in Kisuke's head of a set of rings, one for a male, and the other for a female. It went away within seconds, but that was all Ichigo needed.

Kisuke threw him another dirty look. "Fine, I'll pay your extremely low price. And I don't want the wedding rings yet, not if you're the one setting the prices! You'll never get rich that way, boy!" he said.

Ichigo sobered up. "There are hundreds of people who come in each month, some buying Jewelry, some not, but I still get the money for the ones that I make. These people are not my friends or family and I don't feel as if I owe them anything. But you fall under all three of these categories, Uncle. I'm rich enough. Don't take away from my generosity, please," he said seriously.

Kisuke considered him for a moment before nodding. "So be it. You sure have grown into a fine young man, Ichigo. I wish that I could have been there while you were growing up," he said.

"You can be there now. Call Dad, tell him that I asked if you could come over. There will be some things that need to be explained, of course, but all should go well," Ichigo said.

Kisuke nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Kurosaki-Kun," he said.

"My name is Ichigo. I'll be back in three minutes," Ichigo said, slipping into the back room.

He quickly made the ring, being careful to get the details right, then he went back out to the front room.

"Here it is, Uncle," he said.

"Thank you, Ichigo. It's beautiful, perfect! I hope that she likes it!" Kisuke said, seemingly nervous.

"She will, Uncle. Auntie might hurt you a bit for not asking sooner, but she will like it," Ichigo reassured him.

"Ichigo, why are you so ready to call us that?" Kisuke asked.

"I've heard about you since I was eight, so it's like I've always known you. Also, you kept my Mom alive, so that earns you tons of points," Ichigo admitted.

Kisuke grinned. "Ah, a Momma's boy!" he said, teasing.

Ichigo grinned back and laughed. "And not afraid to admit it!" he said.

Kisuke laughed too. "Thank you again, Nephew. See you soon!" he said, leaving the store, ring securely in his pocket.

"See you soon!" Ichigo called after him.

"Yes, see you when you barge into our house, demanding to know why we sent you the rings, and how we knew exactly how you wanted them," Higochi said with a smirk.

"And also demanding that we let him pay us," Ichigo said, mirroring the smirk.

Both fell into laughter.

III

That prediction came true after no sooner than two days.

There came a loud, persistent knocking on the door. "Isshin! Isshin! Let me in!" a furious, bewildered, and curious voice demanded. It belonged to Kisuke, Ichigo realized.

The door opened as Isshin went to greet Kisuke. "Ah, Kisuke! How long has it been, my brother?" he asked.

"Three years! Now, do you know what your son did to me?!" Kisuke asked hotly.

"You're not normally a man quick to anger, Kisuke. Are you sure that your anger is justified? Ichigo isn't a mean child, I assure you," Isshin said, trying to calm Kisuke down it seemed.

"Oh, I assure you, it is quite justified! Did he tell you about the other day?" Kisuke asked.

"Yes, I am aware," Isshin said.

"Good! It cuts a minute off of my explanation! This afternoon, I found _this_ in my mailbox, for me!" Kisuke said.

There was silence for a minute before Isshin busted out laughing. Ichigo painfully held in his laughter.

"Quit your laughing and let me at him!" Kisuke said.

"And I suppose that he didn't tell you how he did that?" Isshin asked.

"No, and I want to know! Now, let me at him!" Kisuke said in a loud voice.

"Ichigo, he's all yours!" Isshin called, suppressing laughter in his voice, and Ichigo heard stomping feet make their way into the living room.

Ichigo grinned at Kisuke and waved a hand at the other couch. "Have a seat," he said.

Kisuke sat stiffly. He set the box with the rings on the table between them. "Care to explain?" he asked.

"Sure. I'll explain the whole thing. I just did this to ensure that you came here," Ichigo said with a smile. Then he told his story for the second time.

By the end of it, Kisuke's face said that he was gobsmacked. "That has to be one of the most powerful Zanpakuto Abilities ever! And you said that you can use your Shikai Abilities in your Sealed state?" he asked.

He turned pale as Ichigo made him see an angry Yoruichi looming over him. "Please tell me that this isn't real!" he begged.

"It's not. I was demonstrating for you that I can use them in my Sealed state, that's all," Ichigo said with a grin.

Kisuke sighed in relief as Yoruichi disappeared. "That's a powerful ability. Please tell me that you haven't used it for evil," he said.

"Of course not! Though I have used it quite often. Or, rather, one of my clones does," Ichigo reassured him.

"How so?" Kisuke asked, quite curious.

"Plays, Musicals, Theater mostly. Using the illusions I can make them see the movie, or whatever, that they want to see. It's not real, but they still see it as if it was, so they get the experience. The other one percent of the time is spent diverting people's minds from looking too closely at it. It stops people from asking awkward questions that I won't be able to answer honestly," Ichigo said.

Kisuke nodded. "So, where are your siblings?" he asked.

"We are at the park," Ichigo answered.

"A clone?" Kisuke asked.

"Yeah. They don't know the difference, because it acts just as I would, and I get all of its memories, so I know what we did, so I'm just being in more than one place at the same time," Ichigo said.

Kisuke nodded again.

"So, tea?" Ichigo asked, holding up a cup of hot tea.

"How did you do that? Is this an illusion, too?" Kisuke asked, greatly curious.

"No. My power over water is extended to any liquid, so I can make cold tea. However, using my power over fire, and therefore heat, I can make it hot. Using my powers over the earth I can make a ceramic cup. But, using heat again, I can cook it and make it into a usable cup, as you see here. Doing both at once gives you this cup of tea. It's Cinnamon, by the way," Ichigo said with a smile.

Kisuke took it and sampled it. "Quite flavorful, thank you. How did you manage to sweeten it? That's not fire, water, or earth," he asked.

"Simple, it's a plant. I can grow sugar cane, so it's a simple matter of putting the sugar directly into your tea, instead of growing the plant and doing it that way," Ichigo explained.

"Interesting. Ever thought about opening a Cafe?" Kisuke asked.

"Already did so. It's called the Ichisaki Cafe. It's pretty popular, actually," Ichigo commented, sipping his tea.

"I bet. With all of those similar names that are just Anagrams of your name, or a mix of your names, it's surprising that we didn't figure it out sooner. Mmm, this tea is simply wonderful. May I please have a second cup? Thank you. As I was saying, what exactly are you doing to make money?" Kisuke asked.

"Grocery sales, as long as they're not Dairy or Meat, Sand Baths, Hot Springs, Mud Facials, Gift Wrapping, Sculptures, Jewelry, A/C, Theater, Cafes, Fossil Sales, Construction, Concrete, Wiring, Art, stuff like that," Ichigo said offhandedly.

Kisuke's eyes were wide when he finished. Ichigo thought that he detected pride in Kisuke's eyes, but couldn't be sure.

"Well, that'll make you rich! And all of your Employees are your clones?" Kisuke asked.

Ichigo nodded, refilling his cup.

Kisuke nodded back. "Okay, now onto the real issue. How much do you want for the Wedding Rings?" he asked.

"Nothing. Call it an apology for looking into your mind without permission," Ichigo said.

"I'll find something that you want!" Kisuke warned.

"All I want is for my family to be safe and happy, and you and Yoruichi are my family. Please, just take it," Ichigo said.

Kisuke leaned forward, an earnest expression on his face and reflecting in his eyes. "Please, Ichigo, tell me what you want the most," he said.

Ichigo relented after a moment. "I want Dad to be able to interact with us, and not get looked at funny when we're out in public. I know how upset he gets when he can't see us, or interact with us, and I want him to be happy, too," he said.

"Can't you ever just be selfish for once? What would make you – just you – happy?" Kisuke asked, wondering what it would take to get the answer to that question.

"Selfishness will only hurt others. If it only makes me happy then what use is it? I want all of us to be happy, that's what will make me happy, so I work hard for that goal, making not just me happy, but my family, too," Ichigo said.

And Kisuke suddenly understood. He understood exactly what made Ichigo so special. Ichigo wasn't selfish, at all. He would die to keep his loved ones safe, would bleed to make them happy.

And, Kisuke realized, to his great disgust, that he would use that to his advantage in this war with Aizen that was approaching. He closed his eyes for a second, silently vowing to make it up to Ichigo, somehow. Opening his eyes, he saw a knowing look in Ichigo's eyes, and he knew that Ichigo had just heard some of his thoughts, and somehow wasn't disgusted with him.

"I'm your Soldier, Uncle. Tell me what to do," Ichigo said quietly.

Kisuke realized that he meant it. Without even knowing the complete truth or reason, Ichigo would offer his best, and beyond, for his family. And Kisuke counted as that now. How he loathed himself, knowing that he _would_ use Ichigo in this, despite knowing all of this.

"Why?" he asked, voice raw with suppressed emotion.

"Because, I have family in Soul Society, Dad has friends there, and I don't like Aizen. So I will help. If you want to help me, tell me the full truth and reason. I will still help you and trust you if you don't though. You have your reasons, I'm sure," Ichigo said, eyes full of honesty.

Those eyes, so full of trust and love, directed at him made him feel sick, knowing that he was the one who deserved that look the least.

"It's the least that I can do. Read my mind as I explain, and answer through your illusions. That should be secure enough," Kisuke said, deciding that this was a step in the right direction on the road to repaying Ichigo and making him happy.

Ichigo nodded, and then began a long and surprising conversation full of many revelations and surprises. Still, in the end, Ichigo was completely ready to help out and train more, harder than he had been.

He knew that there was another one out there, not just Aizen, and he needed to be prepared. Watching his siblings walk through the door, and getting the memories from his clone, he knew that he would do anything to protect them, so anything he would do.

"I accept," he said to Kisuke, voice ringing with finality.

Kisuke nodded back gravely. "Training starts in two days. Bring Grimmjow, Karin and Yuzu, too. Leave a clone with the other three for now," he said.

"Nel can fight, too. She's proved it. And I don't want her to be hurt in the upcoming war," Ichigo argued.

"Very well, bring them, too," Kisuke acquiesced.

They might have said more, but Rollo bounded into the room and began to slobber all over Kisuke. The others followed Rollo happily.

Ichigo looked at his family again and his already firm resolve hardened even further. 'I will protect them,' he thought. 'I will protect them with my dying breath!'

III

Seeing those emotions play out on Ichigo's face, Kisuke's resolve weakened. 'He's just a boy! Just a kid! He shouldn't have to do this!' one part of him screamed.

'He's our only chance!' the other retorted.

Both sides, however, agreed on making him happy and keeping him safe while they could.

III

On the first day of October, Kisuke had a surprise for the four Arrancar's.

"What are they?" Grimmjow asked, looking at a faux body that looked exactly like him, except for the bone fragments and the hole. "They're kinda creepy."

"They're Gigai! They are fake bodies that you can... possess, I guess would be the correct word, and walk around, being seen by everyone, including your father!" Kisuke explained.

Their faces changed from wary, to happy and excited. "How do we possess them?!" Grimmjow asked.

"Lay down on it, and it will pull you into it," Kisuke instructed.

None of them were slow to obey.

Isshin immediately grabbed the four of them in a hug, scooping up Nel so that he _could_ hug her and them.

"Daddy!" Nel cried happily.

"Dad!" Grimmjow, Pesche and Dondachokka said, hugging back.

Pesche and Dondachokka may have only been there for a few months, but with or without Grimmjow's prodding they were happy to accept Isshin as their dad, much to Isshin's happiness.

He held them out at arms length and looked at them with a big grin. "So, this is what you look like! You, my sons, look handsome! And you, my little daughter, look so beautiful I could cry! You'll be a heartbreaker one day, I know it!" he said, pride on his face.

"She will be!" Pesche agreed, a grin on his face.

Ichigo stood to the side, hugging Karin and Yuzu into his sides, a big smile on his face as he watched. He looked up at Kisuke and Yoruichi, gratitude clear in his eyes. "Thank you, Uncle, Auntie! This makes everyone happy!" he said.

Kisuke smiled back. "Well, Ichigo, it makes you happy, and you said that it's what you wanted, right?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Yes. It's not fair for all of us but Dad to see and hear eachother, and interact together. We wanted Dad to be able to do that, too, without one of us seeing for him, or acting as translator," he said.

Yoruichi snorted good-naturedly. "Only your family would have Arrancar added to the family, too," she said.

The three kids grinned at her.

"Okay, kids! We're going shopping! We're decorating the house this year, and dressing up in costumes!" Isshin declared.

"Really?!" Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu asked.

Grimmjow grinned, having seen this for two years now, watching other people do this. "Halloween?" he asked.

"Yep!" Isshin said.

"Halloween?" Pesche and Dondachokka asked, confused. Nel just looked at them in confusion.

"You'll see! I'll explain as we shop!" Isshin said happily.

They shrugged and followed their father out the door. Grimmjow, excited to be celebrating this holiday for whatever reasons, happily waved to Kisuke and Yoruichi, slung Yuzu up onto his shoulders, and followed the others.

Deciding to follow his Older brother's example, Ichigo put Karin onto his back, waved to his Aunt and Uncle, and followed the rest of his family.

III

When they were gone, Yoruichi turned to Kisuke, her face worried. "I'm worried about him, Kisuke. Ichigo, I mean," she said.

"Yes, I am too. But what in particular has you worried?" Kisuke asked with a worried frown.

"His attitude. It's too adult-like. And he's too calm. He never gets angry when I yell at him during his training. He just corrects his mistakes and moves on. He seems reckless, but when I attack what looks like a weak spot, it bounces off armor and he counterattacks. When I ask him moralistic questions, his answers boil down to 'Protect the innocent even if it kills me.'

When I ask him to choose between himself and a made up person, asking him whose life is more important, he answers the made up person, because, and I quote, "Their life is more important than mine, and their life means more to me than my own." End quote. This is messed up, Kisuke! He's not a child mentally, and he has no self worth. Heck, it seems as if he has an inferiority complex! We need to talk to his father! Masaki's death must have really hurt him for him to become like this!" she said, her words heated, but her tone fretting and worried.

Kisuke sighed sadly. "With all of his power, and with how old he has to act through his clones, I'm not surprised that he's adult-like. What I am surprised at is that he hasn't gone power hungry from all of his power. But then, he seems to have had his self-worth and inferiority complex for quite some time before he activated Shikai, and, from what he told me, he activated it only four months after he met his Zanpakutos. So it could have been his mother's death, or it could have been something else and Masaki's death just cemented it for him," he said.

"We have to help him!" Yoruichi said urgently.

"I know. I'll try," Kisuke said.

" _We'll_ try," she said.

Kisuke nodded in agreement, not wanting to anger her one bit. He was already afraid enough about her reaction to his Proposal!

As it was, he felt his resolve break even more about his plan towards Ichigo.

III

"I wanna go as a Fairy Princess!" Yuzu said.

"Why?" Karin asked, a confused look on her face.

"Because of the first Statue that Ichi-Nii made for me! I'm a Fairy there, so I wanna be a Fairy now!" Yuzu explained.

Karin smiled. "True! Okay, I want to go as a witch!" she said.

It was Yuzu's turn to be confused. "Why?" she asked.

"Witches are cool! They have magic and can do really cool things, like Ichi-Nii! Except he's not a girl," Karin explained.

They both fell into uncontrollable giggles while Ichigo, who was behind them, smiled with amusement and affection.

"What are you going as, Ichigo?" Grimmjow asked curiously.

"Me? I figured that I would pass out candy to Trick or Treaters," Ichigo said.

The twins stopped laughing at that, as if a switch had been thrown inside of their brains. "You're not going with us?" Karin asked, trying to sound as if she didn't care, and failing.

"That's no fun. It's our first celebrated Halloween in awhile, we should go as a family," Yuzu said.

Ichigo looked into their faces and saw that they would be really upset if he didn't go. And, he had to admit, he probably wouldn't have as much fun either. Thinking quickly, he decided what he would go as for Halloween.

"I'll have a clone pass out candy. I'll dress up as Dracula!" he said with a grin, theatrically snapping his teeth together, making their faces brighten and causing them to giggle.

The three looked at Grimmjow. "What are you going as, Grim-Nii?" Ichigo asked.

"Superman! Because he's the greatest Superhero ever!" Grimmjow said, grinning and shooting a pose.

They laughed.

"Let's go ask Dad what he's going as!" he said suddenly.

Agreeing, the four sped up their walk until they caught up to Isshin, Pesche, Dondachokka and Nel, who was pulling on Isshin's beard, causing him to wince every so often.

"Dad!" Grimmjow called out, causing Isshin to turn his head. "What are you going as?" he asked.

"Batman! The Greatest Superhero ever!" Isshin said with a grin.

Grimmjow frowned. "No way! That's Superman!" he argued.

"Sorry, Son, but Batman defeated Superman!" Isshin said.

"Really? But Superman is awesome! He's strong!" Grimmjow said.

"Strength doesn't get you everywhere, Grim. You have to be smart, too!" Isshin told him.

"Like Ichigo?" Grimmjow asked, causing the both of them to look towards Ichigo, who was joking with the others and making them laugh.

"Yes, like Ichigo," Isshin said with a worried frown.

Grimmjow saw and lowered his voice. "You see it?" he asked.

"How he never seems to care for himself, only his family and keeping them happy? How he seems to only have one purpose, which is to save his friends and family from Juhabach? Or how, once he finishes that goal, he will no longer seem to have a purpose and so he won't know what to do, or what to live for, except for keeping his family safe and happy? Because yes, I've seen all of those things. The only thing keeping him from going fanatic about it is that he seems to know when to listen to others about his needs," Isshin said.

"His short term purpose is to give Nel, Karin and Yuzu a happy childhood," Grimmjow said.

"That's my job. And what about his own? Shouldn't he have a happy childhood?" Isshin asked.

"He's happy making them happy," Grimmjow said, frowning.

Isshin frowned as well. "That doesn't seem to be a bad thing, but he acts too much like an adult. He seems to know Karin and Yuzu's wants and needs before I do most times. Not a bad thing exactly, but I'm the father, so I should take care of their needs, including his. But I don't seem to know his anymore, not unless he tells me," he said.

"You mean that he wasn't always this way? My only memory of before I became a Hollow is of Ichigo helping me out as a ghost, and that memory is what became my strength. I knew that there were good people out there, and that's how I battled my way through the other voices as a Gillian: because of him. He is the source of my strength, and I will protect him, even from himself!" Grimmjow said.

"No, he wasn't always this way. He was a kind boy, but he often thought of himself. Then one day he came home from school, his whole being changed. He was thoughtless of himself, heeding only the desires of his family. He often seemed lost though, as if he had no purpose. Then he decided that he would help ghosts pass on. He did so with no regard to his safety. The recklessness only stopped when we told him that he couldn't help or protect anyone unless he was careful. So now he protects himself, if only to keep on helping others," Isshin said.

"That explains a lot. But how can we help him? He needs someone to protect him and make him happy. I can do that, but how? How can we save the Savior?" Grimmjow asked.

"I don't know yet, Grim, but I will find out," Isshin said soberly.

Grimmjow nodded in agreement. He would help.

III

Ryuuken leaned against the doorway, staring at Isshin with a frown. "You want my help with your son? Why mine? I can't even help my own son. He's always unhappy these days, ever since Souken died. How do you suppose I can help, knowing that?" he asked.

He saw Isshin's eyes light up. "We can make them into friends!" Isshin said.

Ryuuken blinked. "Not a bad idea. They can both cheer eachother up. But beware, Uryu hates Shinigami and everything to do with them, so you might have a tough time with that," he said.

Isshin nodded. "We can work around that. Somehow we'll make them into friends!" he said.

Ryuuken nodded in agreement.

III

The Kurosaki family were happily dressed up and gathering candy from other houses. They were talking happily amongst themselves, when Ichigo heard someone yell out, "Give me your candy, Freak!" followed by a loud smack.

Ichigo looked at Isshin, who nodded in approval. "I'll be right back!" Ichigo said, taking off.

"Right!" Isshin called after him.

Ichigo ran to where he sensed distress and found five boys surrounding a boy around Ichigo's age. The boy was tall, and seemingly of Mexican descent. He was holding onto his bag of candy, but not fighting back otherwise. Ichigo unleashed his Killing Intent and watched as the five boys froze. He was very careful to not include anyone else but the five.

The five boys turned slowly to see him, fear obvious on their faces. Ichigo kept his face perfectly calm and let the silence stretch for ten seconds before he said, "Run." in a rage filled voice. They screamed and ran for their lives.

Ichigo waited until they were out of sight before he turned to the Mexican boy with a smile, leashing up any Killing Intent that he had used. He stuck out a hand to help the boy up. "Hey, you alright?" he asked.

The boy grabbed Ichigo's hand and stood up. "Yes, thank you. You're Ichigo Kurosaki, right?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, I don't recognize you in your costume," he said.

"Sado Yasutora," the boy said. He was wearing a Grim Reaper costume.

Ichigo smiled. "Boy, that's a mouthful! Can I call you Chad?" he asked.

Sado shrugged. "Sure," he said.

"Cool, thanks! Say, why weren't you fighting back when those bullies were trying to steal your candy?" Ichigo asked.

"My Abuelo died teaching me to never fight for myself, only for others. The candy wasn't worth it," Chad explained.

Ichigo frowned. "I'm sorry that he died, and I'm not trying to badmouth the teaching, but you could get killed later on if you don't fight for yourself sometimes. But tell you what, I'll fight for you. Whenever you're in trouble, I'll be there. In return I ask for nothing. Okay?" he asked.

Chad thought about it for a minute before he nodded. "Thank you, Ichigo. I'll fight for you, even if you did ask for nothing," he said.

Ichigo smiled and nodded. "Thanks. Where are your parents? I want to make sure that you're safe with them," he said.

Chad seemed to sadden for a moment before he went back to normal. "They're dead. I'm an Orphan," he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so insensitive," Ichigo said.

"It's okay. My Abuelo left his house to me, so I have a home. My Orphan's Allowance keeps me alive as well," Chad said.

Ichigo nodded. "You want to join my family for tonight?" he asked.

Chad visibly brightened. "Sure!" he said, a smile playing on his face.

Ichigo led Chad to his family, who had grown by two people since he'd left.

"Tatsuki! Orihime!" he greeted with a smile.

"Hi, Ichigo!" Tatsuki said, waving. She was in her Karate gear, so she must be going as a Karate Master.

"Aniki-Chan!" Orihime greeted with a hug. She was dressed up as a Fairy Princess, just like Yuzu.

Ichigo hugged her back. When they separated, the attention turned to Chad.

"Who's this, Ichi-Nii?" Karin asked.

"This is Chad. He's a friend of mine and he's joining us tonight," Ichigo said.

"Hello!" the others said to Chad.

"Hello," Chad greeted back.

They introduced themselves and they went back to Trick or Treating.

III

At lunch two days later, Chad approached Ichigo, who was sitting with Tatsuki and Orihime. "Ichigo, can I ask you something?" he asked.

Ichigo smiled. "Sure, Chad! What is it?" he asked in return.

"I can sense energy. Most energy feels wild and free, like mine, and those two, but your family's energy felt... tamed, somehow, as if you trained in it. How? Can you teach me?" Chad asked.

Ichigo's eyes widened a bit before they took on a contemplating tone. He took a quick look at Chad's Reiatsu and saw a good amount there, but untapped and untamed.

He smiled. "Sure, Chad, I can do that. Meet me at the front of the school today when school lets out and I'll help you out, okay?" he asked.

Chad nodded and was about to walk away, but hesitated. "Can I... can I sit here with you three?" he asked, almost shyly, as if he was afraid to be yelled at.

"Of course! You're my friend now, Chad! Sit with us every day if you want!" Ichigo said.

Chad smiled. "Thank you, Mi Amigo," he said.

"Not a problem, anytime," Ichigo said.

"Aniki-Chan...?" Orihime asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes, Orihime?" he asked.

"What energy do you mean? Does it tie in with your ability to see ghosts? Tatsuki-Chan and I can see them now, too, but what energy?" she asked.

He smiled again, then gave them a rundown of what Reiatsu, Reiryoku and Reishi were, and what they did.

"Does everyone have it? How much do people normally have?" Tatsuki asked.

"No, not everyone has it, but those who do don't normally have that much, but Ichigo and his family have a lot, more than anyone else I've seen," Chad said, answering this time.

"How much do we have?" she asked.

"More than the average person, from spending so much time with Ichigo. It leaks out of him and into you, making yours grow over the time you spend with him," he answered.

"Can we train to use ours, too, Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked, hopeful.

"I think so. I'll have to ask Uncle, though," Ichigo answered.

"Great! How strong are you, Ichigo?" she asked.

Ichigo shrugged. "Not strong enough to beat Uncle, or Auntie, skill wise. Power wise, though, I easily beat them," he answered.

"I can't wait to see you fight, Aniki-Chan!" Orihime said excitedly.

Ichigo smiled, but on the inside he was worried. What if he wasn't as strong or skilled as they thought? What if they were disappointed in him? What if they didn't want to be friends anymore?

He decided to swallow these worries and go through with it anyway.

III

"I WON'T BE FRIENDS WITH A SHINIGAMI!" a loud yell reached the quartets ears as Ichigo lowered them through the trapdoor in a crystal orb.

Looking down, they saw a small group of people, made up of Ichigo's family, and two new people. One was a man, the other was a boy, who was red in the face, likely the one who had shouted.

Ichigo landed the group next to his family and faced the other two. "Dad, who are they?" he asked. He thought that he recognized the man from Shiro's memories, though.

"This is Ryuuken Ishida, a friend of mine, and this is his son, Uryu. We thought that perhaps you two could be friends, but Uryu seems pretty adamant about not allowing it," Isshin informed him.

"Let me deal with him, please?" Ichigo asked.

After hesitating a moment, Ryuuken nodded and stood with Ichigo's family, while Ichigo stepped forward.

"What are you going to do to me, Shinigami? Kill me?" Uryu asked, nearly spitting in rage.

Ichigo shook his head as he spread out his arms, forming an orb around his family and Ryuuken as he did so. "You hate us Shinigami. I'm sure that you have a reason, but I won't ask for it. What I propose now is thus: take it out on me. Harm no one else, only me. I will take as much as you decide to dish out. Understood? Do we have a deal?" he asked.

Uryu formed a bow and aimed it at Ichigo. "We have a deal," he said, letting fly.

Both ignored the protests of the others, and Ichigo reinforced the orb with more Reiryoku so that it wouldn't break.

He let the arrow land. Both he and Uryu were surprised when it didn't draw blood, or even leave a mark on his skin, instead leaving a web of veins along his skin. That only infuriated Uryu more and he let fly as many arrows as he could, as fast as he could. When he ran out of energy, he got physical, punching and kicking as hard and as fast as he could.

"Why aren't you more hurt?! Why won't you Shinigami just leave and not bother us?! Why do you constantly hurt us?!" Uryu yelled, slugging Ichigo in the cheek.

"I don't know why- the Shinigami won't- leave you alone- or why they hurt you.- But I do know- that they can be- friends!- Look at our- Father's! They are friends!- And my Mother!- She was a Quincy! That's why I know that Shinigami and Quincy can get along!" Ichigo said, in between getting punched.

Uryu had frozen in shock as soon as Ichigo had said that his Mother was a Quincy. "You're a Quincy, too?" he asked in a whisper.

Ichigo nodded, popping his jaw into place and setting his nose. "Yeah, I am. Half, at least. My Mom's name was Masaki," he said.

"Aunt Masaki? The one that Father was betrothed to? You're my cousin?" Uryu asked.

Ichigo nodded, setting other limbs.

"I hurt you. I hurt my family, my cousin, all because I was too blinded by your Shinigami side. I'm so sorry!" Uryu said, tearing up, regret clear in his voice.

Ichigo embraced him, not embarrassed at all to be doing so. "It's okay, Uryu. I understand. I told you, let it all out," he said.

"Does that still apply?" Uryu asked in a choked voice.

"If you need to, go ahead," Ichigo invited, arms held out again.

Uryu fell to his knees, bringing Ichigo with him, as he began to cry into Ichigo's shirt, letting out all of his sad feelings, starting to grieve at last.

Ichigo let the orb fall away, and the others joined the two boys. "We're family, Uryu. We help eachother," Ichigo said when Uryu was drying his tears.

"Then I'll help you, too! Something must be wrong with you for you to _let_ me attack you! Weren't you afraid of being hurt, or killed?" Uryu asked.

"No, because I was helping you. I decided to be your scapegoat instead of it being someone else," Ichigo answered.

Uryu gave him a deadpanned stare. "You're crazy. I have a lot of work ahead of me," he said.

Ryuuken placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder and Isshin placed one on Uryu's, both smiling down at them. "And we'll do it together," Ryuuken said firmly.

"As a family," Isshin finished.

The rest of the family and friends crowded around, offering their support. Now, Ichigo knew, that his family was truly complete, and they would do anything for eachother, protecting eachother always, and helping them heal from all of their past hurts and traumas.

He just didn't realize at first that what he just thought included himself, too. They would get stronger together.

III

 **Hey, thanks for reading this Story! You've all been really kind to me. Even though I have only a few Reviews, all of them have been kind and supportive, so really, Thank you! See you in the next Chapter!**

 **Aisu.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey, everyone! Here's the next chapter in this story! I hope that it meets up to your expectations. I would like to say this though: please do not complain to me about IchiHime being Canon and this not following Canon. It's call Fanfiction for a reason, and I did say that this was AU at the beginning. Thank you to the rest of you, you're a big help and an inspiration for my story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Tite Kubo's Bleach!**

Chapter 3

Timeskip- Ichigo's 15.

A lot had happened to Ichigo's family and friends in the three years since his family had become complete. For starters, while Chad lived in his Abuelo's house, he ate at Ichigo's house every day, having become a real part of the family since that Halloween night. His powers had also come along very well, and he was dangerous to those who would attack his family.

Tatsuki had something tragic happen to her when they were thirteen. Her parents died in a gas explosion while she was at school one day. When she got home, the neighbors told her the sad news and she ran to Ichigo, who immediately set her up in an Apartment next to Orihime.

While she only had as much Reiatsu as a Lieutenant , the weapons that she had made her very dangerous. Titanium plates with diamond knuckles and sides were made for her to put on her fists. Not only could she channel Reiryoku into them to do twice the bludgeoning damage, she could shoot a beam of Reishi out of them and kill Hollows or other enemies easier.

They didn't do just that, though. With the diamond sides, she could make a sword, a long knife and a Bo staff out of Reishi. The diamonds could store Reiatsu in them so that she could use them even after her own energy ran out. Yoruichi and Karin had a set of them, too, although Karin also had her Shinigami powers.

Yuzu had a set of crystal guns that could turn into any gun that she wanted. They used stones like a real gun used bullets, in that the stones stored and used energy like the diamonds on the knuckles, shooting out Reishi bullets. Both Karin and Yuzu had high Third Seat reserves, though they knew Shikai and were working on mastering Bankai.

Orihime's powers surprised them all. She could reject stuff. Not just wounds, but reality. She could reject a person's personality if she chose to, or reject them from existence. Ichigo decided right then and there to never give her cause to use that on him, unless, of course, he was dead, and then she could bring him back, because she could do that, too, though it took a lot out of her. They knew that because she rejected the death of a dead Butterfly when it died as she was healing it. It was a scary ability.

Uryu had come a long way since they'd met, not only using archery to its full potential, but also using the Steele Schneider, as well as other Quincy weapons, Ryuuken having decided that he was ready to use them.

Isshin was now fully recovered and could train his children and himself. Because they'd been training the group for so long, they, they being Isshin, Yoruichi, Kisuke, Tessai and the Vizards, got back into shape, and were actually stronger than they'd ever been, having to grow in strength as their students did.

Grimmjow, now better known as Grim, Pesche, Dondachokka and Nel(Who now looked six) could use their Hollow powers in their Gigai, having been made specifically to let them do so.

Nel, when she and Ichigo traveled together, rode on Ichigo's shoulders everywhere. Either she had the traditional shoulder ride, or she hung off Ichigo's shoulder with her arms holding her there. When she had started to do that, Ichigo had made a platform for her to stand on so that her arms didn't tire so easily.

This habit of theirs made Isshin remember a man named Kenpachi Zaraki and his daughter figure, Yachiru Kusajishi, prompting a story of the duo, which started the habit of Isshin telling them about someone or other each night, just remembering them fondly. Ichigo thought that it was helpful for when they finally went to Soul Society and became a member of their Society again.

The family had met the Vizards when Kisuke had decided that they needed help to train everyone at once. The Vizards cheerfully accepted, having been hearing stories about Ichigo, even if they couldn't feel his Reiatsu. Ichigo had explained this by saying that he had an invisible layer of Seki Seki stone dusting his body, making it impossible to sense him.

Ichigo's training was going far beyond what anyone had imagined for him to be at yet. He had a mastery over his Shikai's and Bankai's that they couldn't believe, mostly because it was so fast, and he was using his Bankai in Shikai and partly in his Sealed state, something that none of them had thought possible before they'd seen his progress.

His Businesses were blooming as well. He'd branched out from Karakura and another twelve towns and cities in Japan, North and South Korea, and China, to another seventy towns and cities throughout the world, simply by using his stones. By setting a stone that he'd grown in a spot that he intended to have his clone go to each time to build a store and then run said store, he was able to have each clone teleport to the stone each day to run it.

Plus, by giving each Clone a Reiatsu Battery, they didn't need to be replaced for a while, so Ichigo could rotate which Clone he replaced when they ran out of Reiatsu.

He now had more money than he'd ever had before. He didn't know if it was enough, but he hoped that it was. He had also hired his family in each of his stores, simply because they said that they needed money, but they wouldn't just take it from him for no reason.

Ichigo looked up from his reminiscing on his way back from school as he felt a Reiatsu signature flicker in distress and go really low. He didn't recognize it personally, but he did know that it was a Shinigami and he had to help them.

He activated Flicker and was by their side in moments. His hard wired senses told him that a bad Hollow was lunging at them and he thrust out a hand and a crystal spear lodged itself into its mask, purifying it.

He then turned his attention to the Shinigami and saw a girl around his age lying on the ground, bleeding from her chest, stomach and shoulder. His stomach tightened as he saw her face and he suddenly felt protective of this girl, though not in a brotherly/sisterly way. He couldn't identify it, but that didn't matter at the moment, he had to get her to his dad, so that he could save her. He picked her up and Flickered to his house.

He barged into the Clinic. "Dad! Please, save her!" he begged, holding her body out for Isshin to see.

"Okay, Ichigo, calm down. Set her on the bed here. Now, was she conscious when you found her, or not?" Isshin asked, getting into his role as doctor and not a father.

"No, I found her being attacked by a Hollow when her Reiatsu caught my attention while I was walking home from school," Ichigo said, calming down now that he knew that the girl was safe and in good hands.

"Alright. Good job on getting her here so fast, and for giving her a Reiatsu Transfusion so quickly," Isshin approved.

"Huh? I don't remember giving her a Transfusion," Ichigo said, checking his Reiatsu and finding that Isshin was right.

"Odd. That means that you were instinctively keeping her alive. Strong bond then, somehow. Nevertheless, the energy is fading fast and I need to work fast. Here, scan her bones and fix any broken ones, and stop her blood from flowing out of the wounds, please," Isshin said.

Ichigo nodded and did as his dad ordered. He found three broken bones, one in her right arm and two in her right leg, and he fixed them. While he did that, he stopped the blood from leaking from her body.

Isshin, though he had no talent in the art of Healing Kido, knew enough about Mortal healing that he could cauterize her wounds and stitch the gash shut, putting ointments in her wounds so that they wouldn't infect. Thanks to Ichigo's help, the work was done in less time than it normally took, leaving them free to talk about what might have happened.

Isshin took a good look at the girl's face and looked thoughtful. "Looks like Rukia Kuchiki, Byakuya Kuchiki's little sister," he said.

Ichigo looked worried as he watched her sleep. "Aizen is starting then? Uncle said that he would most likely use her as a way to get me under his thumb. Do you think that he's starting?" he asked.

Isshin turned serious. "Perhaps. Let's prepare and wait and see, okay?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded, trying to not feel nervous. Not for himself, but for this young woman whose life might be in danger because of him. He felt even more protective of her than before. "Will she survive, Dad?" he asked.

Isshin looked at Ichigo, not really surprised by the question. Ichigo was kind and caring, even to strangers. He was always this worried when someone was hurt. However, he suspected that there was more to the worry this time. "She should be fine, Son. Don't worry, we saved her life," he said softly.

Ichigo sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I'll go say hi to everyone else, but then I'm right back here. Don't worry, I'll do my homework," he said with a small smile.

Isshin smiled back with pride. "You're really worried, huh? Don't worry, Ichigo, she'll be fine," he said.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, I know. But I'm still pretty worried, Dad," he said.

Isshin nodded and bustled back to the sterilizing portion of his Clinic to sterilize his equipment.

Ichigo went into the house.

III

Ichigo was nodding off when he heard a light moan of pain from Rukia and saw her eyelids flutter open when he looked at her.

She looked around and her eyes landed on him. "Am I dead? I thought that reincarnation was after death, with no recollection of your life before it?" she rasped out.

He handed her a glass of water, which she took gratefully. He helped her to half sit up as she drank it. When she finished, he gently lowered her back down, banishing the glass out of her sight.

"No, you are not dead. I saved your life, Shinigami, and then I brought you here so that my Dad could heal you," Ichigo said, speaking in a quiet voice so as to not hurt her head.

"Thank you, but my name is not 'Shinigami'. It is Rukia Kuchiki. Call me Rukia. Who are you?" she asked.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, you can call me Ichigo. Why are you letting me call you by your first name? You are a Noble, correct?" he asked.

She looked surprised. "Yes, I am. How did you know? Aren't you only a human?" she asked.

"Ah, forgive me, I am a half Quincy," he said.

She looked alarmed. "Quincy?! But, aren't we enemies?" she asked.

"I wish to stop the feud between races. I want there to be peace between us. If you consider us enemies, then you may kill me once you are better, but only once you are healed, okay, Rukia?" he asked with a sad smile.

"I could never kill you! You saved me! Back there, with the Hollow, I thought that it was the end for me, and it would have been, if not for you! I am grateful to you, and I am in your debt!" she said, seemingly unable to believe what he'd just said.

He nodded and then shook his head. "Not in my debt, no. I won't allow that. So, are you hungry? Do you think that you can eat? A broth maybe?" he asked.

"Ah, yes, a broth, please. Chicken, if you have it," she said.

He nodded, got up and headed to the kitchen of the Clinic. He came back quickly with a mug of Chicken broth. He handed it to her and she took it gratefully. She sipped it and closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the flavor.

When she opened them, she looked surprised. "The pain... it's less. Do you have a Kido spell like our healers do?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, it was a non-narcotic Drug that takes away pain, or at least reduces it. I put it in your broth so that it would work faster," he said.

"Well, at least it's not poison," she said with a smile.

"Do you think that I would poison you?" he asked with a frown.

She looked thoughtful, before shaking her head, "No, I don't believe that you would. Not after all of the effort that you put into keeping me alive," she said.

He smiled. "Thanks for the trust. Do you want to ask me any questions? Or do you want to sleep when you're done with your broth?" he asked.

"Perhaps sleep would be best. Can I ask questions tomorrow?" she asked.

He nodded. "I'll be here to answer any questions that you have once school lets out, I promise," he said.

She nodded and handed back the empty mug. "Thank you, Ichigo. I really appreciate this," she said, giving him a smile.

He smiled back. "It's no problem, Rukia. My dad will be here to check on you in the morning. He'll be here all day, so don't be hesitant to call upon him if you're uncomfortable, or in pain," he said.

She nodded. "Thank you. Is he like you? A Quincy?" she asked.

"Uh, no, he's not a Quincy," Ichigo said.

"Oh. Mortal then?" she asked.

"No, something else," he said, skirting around the topic of what his father was.

She saw that and smiled in understanding. "It's okay, I won't ask anymore tonight," she said.

He sighed in relief and smiled back. "Thanks. I'll tell you, but I want you to meet him first," he said.

She opened her mouth to ask a question, but stopped as she remembered her promise. "Okay, I'll hold you to that," she said.

He nodded, stood up, turned the lights off, and left her to go to sleep.

III

The next day, Ichigo stepped up to Rukia's bed and smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Hello, Rukia. I have something for you," he said.

She looked curious. "Oh? What is it?" she asked.

"I hope you like it," he said, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a crystal flower.

Her eyes widened at its beauty as he handed it to her. "Ichigo, it's so beautiful!" she said in awe.

"Yeah. I thought that you'd like a 'Get Well' gift, but thought that normal flowers would die too fast, so I got you one that wouldn't," he said with a shrug.

"How much did this cost you?" she asked, turning it this way and that, watching how the sunlight caught on all of the colors.

"Not much. Don't worry about the price," he said with another shrug.

He sat down as she shot him a surprised look. "So, how did you like my dad?" he asked.

"Well, he's very kind. No surprise, really, as he's your father," she said.

"Yeah, he is pretty awesome, isn't he? He's a great dad and a great doctor," he said.

"He said that you helped, but he wouldn't go into detail beyond setting my bones and staunching the blood," she said, looking quite curious.

Ichigo smiled. "I know that you're curious. Ask away then," he said.

She opened her mouth, then hesitated and shut it, looking thoughtful. "No, I don't believe that I will. I won't make you tell me your secrets. I want to earn your trust, not have you tell me because I'm curious," she said.

He smiled again. "Thanks for that. How do you feel? I can't believe that I didn't ask you that earlier!" he said.

She smiled. "I'm in a bit of pain, but the 'Pain Killers' are helping out quite a bit. I also can't move much beyond my arms and my head, but my shoulder hurts when I move my left arm above the elbow. I should be fine, though," she said.

Ichigo was relieved. "I'm glad that you're okay, even if you are in pain. Are you hungry? Thirsty?" he asked.

"Just a bit thirsty, if you don't mind getting me a drink," she said.

"No problem. Be right back," he said, going into the kitchen and coming back with a cup and a pitcher. "Here," he said, handing her the cup.

She took it and sipped from it. "It's Orange Juice!" she said, surprised.

"Don't have many of those in Soul Society? Orange trees, I mean?" he asked.

"Well, not out of season at least. How did you get them?" she asked.

"They're an imported fruit. It means that we get them from other Countries when ours aren't in season," Ichigo explained.

"Oh, that makes sense," Rukia said.

"Don't be afraid to have more. We have plenty," Ichigo said.

She smiled happily, nodded, and drained her cup. He refilled it and this time she drank slower.

He pulled out his homework and began to work on that while she watched him.

"Is that hard to do?" she asked an hour later, when he finished.

He looked up, surprised. "No, not really. Not for me. It's pretty easy for me, even though I'm in an Advanced Placement in the Senior class," he said.

"Senior class? Is that like in Soul Society?" she asked.

"Kind of. Here, I'll explain it," he said, and then proceeded to explain it to her.

"Oh. So, you're almost out of school then? Is that normal for people your age?" she asked.

"Yes, I am. No, it's not normal. I'm just smart, I guess," he said, shrugging in a modest manner, making her like him even more.

"So, your dad said that you had siblings. What are their names?" she asked.

Ichigo visibly brightened. He loved his siblings, and it showed. "Well, there's Nel, she's five right now. Next up are Karin and Yuzu, they're twins and they're thirteen. There's me, I'm fifteen. There's Grimmjow, he's seventeen, and then there's Pesche and Dondachokka, they're nineteen. Outside of the ones who live here, there's Orihime, she's fifteen," he said, before he was interrupted.

"What do you mean, she doesn't live here? Why is Nel so young?" Rukia asked.

"Simple, Orihime prefers to live in her Apartment, and Nel, Grim, Pesche and Donda are adopted," he said.

She nodded and he continued to explain.

"Then there's Chad, he's also fifteen. Aside from them is my cousin, Uryu Ishida, who feels more like a brother than a cousin, he's fifteen, too. Last is Tatsuki, she's also fifteen," he finished.

"So, three who aren't adopted and who don't live here, but who are like your siblings, four who are adopted and who live here, and a cousin-ish/brother who lives elsewhere. Did I get that right?" Rukia asked.

He nodded.

The door opened quietly and Nel stuck her head into the room. "Ichi-Nii, can I have your help, please?" she asked in a quiet voice, being mindful of Rukia.

Ichigo smiled and beckoned her over.

Nel smiled and walked over to him, a book clutched in her hands.

"You need help reading a word?" he asked, taking the book gently.

She nodded and climbed into his lap, smiling.

Ichigo opened it up and found the word that she needed help with. "This word? It's lettuce. See? Let-tuce," he said.

"Oh. What are they talking about, Ichi-Nii?" Nel asked.

Ichigo chuckled and turned to the front page. "I see what you're doing, Nel-Chan. It's alright, though. I'll read to you, as long as Rukia doesn't mind. Do you, Rukia?" he asked Rukia.

Rukia smiled and shook her head. "I don't mind. I'd like to hear a story from the Human World," she said.

"Yay!" Nel said, grinning and clapping her hands.

Ichigo smiled and began to read.

Rukia sat back to listen, noticing as she did so the love and care that the two siblings held for eachother. She decided right then and there that, Quincy or not, she would be friends with him while she could. Heck, Nel could be a Hollow and she would still be friends with them, because any Hollow that could be this innocent deserved to be cared for and to have a big brother like Ichigo.

She just hoped that she could stay friends with them even after she went back to Soul Society.

III

Ichigo walked into the living room, hearing laughter in there that didn't belong to his siblings, and saw Rukia sitting on a couch, playing Madlibs with the twins and Nel.

"Hey," he greeted, causing the three little sister's faces to light up, and they got up to hug him. "Nii-Chan!" they said.

Chad, Uryu, Tatsuki and Orihime walked in behind Ichigo and they got greeted, too.

Ichigo walked up to Rukia. "Hey. I see that Dad's letting you out of your Hospital bed," he said with a smile.

She nodded. "Yeah. He's being very generous, letting me use your house like this," she said, smiling back.

He nodded. "You want something to eat or drink?" he asked.

"I've already been taking up so much of your food these past two weeks," she said with a frown.

"Relax. Dad sets aside a big portion of his money to feed the patients," Ichigo said.

"But I can't pay you back!" she said.

"So? You think that we're gonna let you starve?" Ichigo asked.

Orihime giggled. "Rukia-San, if you think that Aniki-Chan will let you go without food or drink, then you don't know him very well!" she said.

"As if Ichigo would ever let you starve!" Tatsuki said with a snort.

"That's not his way," Chad agreed.

"Save us the trouble and tell him what you want to eat," Uryu said, backing them up.

Rukia sighed in defeat. "Alright. Do you have any fruit?" she asked.

"Of course! It's like we have an unlimited stock of them!" Karin said, grinning.

Yuzu giggled, petting Yuki, who was purring loudly.

Yuki was scary smart, so was Rollo. Having lived since they were little in a house that leaked insane amounts of Reiatsu had... mutated them a bit. Not only were they smart and they listened to orders, but they could grow bigger and deadlier if any of the family was in danger.

Rukia smiled and thanked them as Ichigo went into the kitchen to get the fruit. He spent more time than he needed to in there, pretending to get a bowl filled with fruit. When he took it back to Rukia, her eyes lit up in delight.

She picked up an apple and bit into it. She watched the family as they settled in to do homework, or other things, before they began reading to eachother, or playing.

She got to meet the older siblings and saw that, not only did they treat their little siblings with love, respect and care, but they treated her just as they did their siblings! She truly felt like a part of a family for the first time in her life, and she was loving every moment of it.

When she had befriended Renji and the others, it had been more out of a way to survive than anything else, even if they did become close friends later on. But they never did feel like a family.

When Byakuya-Nii-Sama took her in, it was out of a sense of duty, because he felt like he owed it to his wife, Hisana. He wanted to honor her last request. He never felt like a real big brother, because he never tried. He adopted her and then only paid attention to her when he needed to, never any more than that.

And as for her dead Big Sister, Hisana, she abandoned her, enough said. So she had never had a family, but this one was swiftly becoming one to her.

She sat back, eating her fruit, content to watch the family interact, smiling as she saw Ichigo chase Nel around the living room, pretending to be a monster, and Nel was shrieking happily as she ran away.

She watched with interest as some of the others played card or board games. She watched with laughter dancing in her eyes as Karin wrestled with Rollo and as Yuzu gave Yuki some catnip.

Yes, she could get used to this.

III

On March Seventeenth, Rukia walked into the house to find the house decorated with balloons, confetti, streamers and other birthday decorations, much to her surprise. She blinked, then looked for Ichigo, who she knew would help her make sense of this.

On being unable to find him, she walked over to Grim. "What's all this for? Where's Ichigo?" she asked.

He smiled warmly at her, as a real older brother would, making her feel happy. "It's Nel's birthday today, so we're celebrating it. As for Ichigo, he's at the park with Nel, Karin and Yuzu, distracting Nel so that we can get this done," Grim said.

She frowned, feeling disappointed that Ichigo wasn't there, but understanding that this was necessary. He gave her an understanding look, but didn't say anything.

"Will they be back soon?" she asked.

"Yeah. We're done, so we called him and they're on their way back," he said.

She smiled, feeling happier suddenly. Since when had Ichigo become such a big part of her life? She didn't know, and she didn't care, all she knew was that he was, and that was enough for her.

"I'm home!" came four voices as they came through the door.

"Welcome home!" Rukia found herself chorusing with everyone else.

She smiled as she saw them enter the living room. Nel's eyes were being covered by Ichigo's hands. Nel seemed to be very excited.

"You ready?" Grim whispered to Rukia.

"To do what?" she whispered back.

"Yell, "Surprise!" when her eyes are uncovered," he instructed.

Rukia grinned. "Yeah, I'm ready!" she said.

"Ready, Nel?" Ichigo asked, a grin on his face and in his voice.

"Yes, please, Ichi-Nii!" Nel said, almost bouncing out of excitement.

"Okay. One, two, three!" he said, uncovering her eyes.

"Surprise!" everyone yelled, grinning at her happy face.

"Wow! For me?!" Nel asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yep! Six years old already, huh, Squirt?" Grim asked, reaching down to tickle her side.

She squealed and giggled as she squirmed away. "Rukia-Nee-Chan! Save me!" she yelled as she ran behind Rukia's legs.

Grinning, Rukia shook her head. "No luck, Nel-Chan! Here comes the Rukia Tickle Monster!" she said, turning around and tickling Nel's sides, ignoring when her front protested.

Nel squealed with laughter and ran away, trying to find someone to protect her from being tickled. She found no luck, though, as everywhere she ran she was tickled, with everyone laughing at and with her.

Finally, though, they stopped and sat down to open presents. Nel got a new coloring book, a new outfit, new toys, and a crystal figurine that was in the shape of Rukia reading to Nel, which she had done before.

Nel hugged Rukia. "Thank you, Rukia-Nee!" she said.

Rukia felt confused, until she saw that the tag said, "From Rukia", and she saw Ichigo grin at her from across the room. 'Thank you,' she mouthed to him as she hugged Nel back. "You're welcome," she said to Nel.

After the presents, cake and Ice cream, they played some games.

"Hey, Rukia, when's your Birthday?" Ichigo asked as they played Life.

"April Fourth, why? When's yours?" she asked.

"September Nineteenth. Yes! Go to College Free!" he said, successfully distracting her from why he asked.

Pesche won the game.

III

Rukia was left at home alone, with no company other than Isshin, who had to work, but he checked in on her from time to time.

"Isshin-San, can I go sit on the swings?" she asked when he came in to check on her around noon.

"Sure, Rukia-Chan! Just don't play too hard! Your wounds aren't completely healed yet! Don't worry, everyone should be back in about three hours, Ichigo too. And we have a surprise for you!" Isshin said with a grin.

She grinned back. "Really?!" she asked.

He nodded, but said no more as he ducked back into his Clinic.

She felt excited as she walked outside to the swings that were in the backyard. She sat down and pushed lightly, causing her to start to gently swing. She tilted her head up to smile at the sun and feel the wind stir her hair. She saw birds fly overhead, chirping cheerfully to eachother as they built their nests.

She wondered what the surprise was. It was probably something small, but thoughtful. The Kurosaki family, she had learned, were a very kind and thoughtful family, and she loved them and being a part of the family. She knew that they would get her something that she truly enjoyed.

She didn't even realize that she'd stopped thinking about going back to the Soul Society, having had her real family here, so why should she leave? She didn't realize that she'd forgotten to give reports to the Soul Society about her injuries and her recovery. She didn't even realize that Ichigo had put a dusting of Seki Seki stone on her, hiding her Reiatsu from them.

She didn't realize, didn't know, but if she did she still might not have cared. This was her family and this was her home. She didn't need anyone or anywhere else.

Time passed by quickly as she was swinging and soon she heard everyone walk up the street. With a grin, she headed back inside to greet them.

"I'm home!" the siblings called.

"Welcome home!" she answered.

"Happy Birthday, Rukia! Want to see your surprise?" Ichigo asked, smiling in excitement.

Feeling her excitement come back, she grinned and nodded.

"C'mon then!" he said, tugging gently on her good arm, leading her upstairs. The others followed them upstairs, wanting to see her reaction.

Ichigo led her to a door to a room that she hadn't been allowed in before. Looking up at the plaque that now graced the door, she could hardly believe it. 'Rukia's Room.' it said.

With a gently shaking hand, Rukia turned the doorknob and opened the door to see a nice bedroom painted in Lavender, the same shade as her eyes. There were supportive colors, too, making it look very nice.

There was a bed, a table, a desk and a chair. On the desk was a Table Lamp, and on the table were many figurines, all of them depicting her with one of the family, doing something that they enjoyed. All of those were surrounding one big one, one of the living room with all of the family doing something typical, and her sitting on the couch, watching everyone else with a smile.

"Do you like it?" Ichigo asked from behind her.

She turned around with a smile and hugged him. "I love it!" she said, breathing in his scent, feeling happy and welcome.

Stepping back, she was hugged by each of the others, each of them grinning at her. As she looked at her family, she came to one conclusion: she never wanted to leave, and nothing would make her.

Or so she thought.

III

 **If people don't like the way that Rukia is turning out, I'm sorry, but this is the way my Muse took me, so this is the way that she will be.**

 **I have a question for everyone. Should I include the Filler Arc with Yui and Shōta? I don't know if I should, because it's technically part of the Arrancar Arc, or not, so please help me!**

 **Also, I might not Post another chapter for a bit, but I will update again, don't worry.**

 **Thanks again,**

 **Aisu!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey, everyone! I'm aware that it's been a while, but I was visiting my mom and she's off-grid, so sorry for the wait. I figure that you've all waited long enough for this chapter, so without further waiting, here you are!**

III

Chapter 4

"Do you understand? Rukia Kuchiki has not been heard from since she went on her Tour of Duty in the Living World. We felt her energy fade, so she is likely dead, since we have not gotten her signal on our Radars. However, if she is alive then she is to be arrested and brought back here immediately for execution. For now though, you are tasked with bringing back her sword as proof of her death. Am I understood?" Yamamoto ordered.

"Yes, Yamamoto-Sotaicho," came Byakuya's emotionless voice.

"Yes, Sir," Renji said, hands clenched into fists.

"Good. Dismissed!" Yamamoto ordered.

Captain and Lieutenant left.

III

Rukia looked up suddenly as she felt two familiar Reiatsu signatures, feeling reality crash around her still not completely healed shoulders. "Of course. I'm so stupid!" she muttered.

"Why do you say so, Rukia? You shouldn't say such things about yourself!" Donda said, looking up at her.

"I forgot to report to Soul Society! They must be looking for me!" she said, hands clenched into fists, worry obvious on her face.

"Do you want to go back?" Karin asked.

"Not really, I'm happy here. But it's my Duty. I have a duty to fulfill there, so I must go back," Rukia said, now sporting unshed tears.

All heads turned towards Ichigo, and somehow Rukia knew that he was the deciding vote. If he said no, she wouldn't object, she would stay, but she would be forever running, and he knew that, and he knew that she wouldn't be completely happy.

He sighed and stood up, walking over until he was standing in front of her. He looked into her face and reached into his pocket, then he pulled out a Locket. It was a simple circular shape, made of Rose Platinum.

"At least take this to remember us by, and to know that you will always have a home with us, your family," he said, putting it around her neck.

She opened it to see that it had four sides, each with a different picture. One had a picture of all of her crystal figurines, one was of the entire family, plus her, one was of Nel and Rukia sitting on the floor, reading, and the last was of Rukia, her head on Ichigo's lap as they both napped, and Karin and Tatsuki drawing a fake beard and mustache on Ichigo's face as they grinned into the camera.

She teared up and hugged Ichigo, sobbing. "Will I ever see you again?" she asked him.

"Our home is always open to you, because it is your home now, too. Now, go in peace. We'll see you soon, okay?" he asked gently, hugging her back.

She nodded, pulling away and wiping her tears. She headed towards the door and looked back. "Don't come after me. Wait until I come back, okay?" she asked sadly.

They all nodded back, just as sad.

She ran out the door, heading to Byakuya's and Renji's Reiatsu signatures. 'I'm leaving my family behind. And for what? Duty? I have a duty to them, too. I owe loyalty and love to them, more than anyone in Soul Society! They took me in and loved me, treating me as one of their own, without even knowing me at first!

How can I do this to them, to me, to us? Especially knowing that I will be executed? I can always turn around, I can change my mind. I can. But I won't, I know that. They would welcome me back, be happy that I changed my mind, but then they would know that I was scared. Better for them to think that I never want to see them again, even though I love them!" she thought, an image of Ichigo appearing in her mind. She couldn't shake it, and didn't completely want to.

Then she stopped running and instead waited, sensing the two who were searching for her heading her way. She closed her eyes and held back tears.

"There she is! She's alive, Captain!" Renji's voice shouted from above.

"I have eyes, Abarai," Byakuya's voice said, closer than Renji's.

She heard them land in front of her and she opened her eyes to see Byakuya's emotionless face and Renji's anxious one.

"Rukia, why have you not contacted Soul Society to report in?" Byakuya asked, tone suggesting that he didn't care.

'Ass,' she thought, her free spirit making itself known.

"My Hell Butterfly got destroyed in a fight with a Hollow and I could not acquire another one without another Shinigami to help me... Onii-Sama," she lied, forgetting to call him 'Brother' at first, and switching to the most formal and distant title that she could use while still being respectful.

He noticed, but didn't comment.

'Of course, because he doesn't care! He's not a real brother, he doesn't know how to be so! He's not like Grim-Nii, Pesche-Nii, and Donda-Nii! He's cold, distant, and emotionless! I want my brothers, not him!' she thought, no expression on her face to betray her thoughts.

He turned and made a Senkeimon. "No matter the reason, the Central 46 have ordered your execution. Come along, Rukia," he said, sheathing his blade.

Rukia nodded and fell into step behind him. 'He's not even going to try to save me! My family would do anything to protect me! He's not my family!' she thought, but she still made no move to escape. She would face this head on, and if it meant her death, then so be it.

She soon found herself in a prison cell in the Sixth Squad Barracks, her only company her thoughts and that image of Ichigo that refused to go away.

She felt this huge emptiness inside her heart, where her family belonged. She pulled out her locket and looked at the last picture, the one of her and Ichigo. She had been surprised at herself that day. She had never fallen asleep on someone before. She hadn't known why then, but she did now, only with death a month away to make her admit it to herself. She was in love with him.

"How cliché. The Damsel falls in love with the Hero," she muttered with a half smile, clutching the locket to her as she started to cry.

She couldn't cry around Byakuya, but the Kurosaki's had always been understanding, never once telling her to stop crying and toughen up.

She would miss them so much.

III

It had been two weeks since Rukia had left, and the house felt so empty without her.

"I'm home!" Ichigo called, walking through the door.

"Welcome home!" everyone called.

No, not everyone. One voice was still missing: Rukia's.

He walked into the living room, eyes automatically flicking to Rukia's couch, only to find her still gone. His heart clenched with pain again.

He clenched his hands into fists. "That's it," he said.

Everyone looked at him. "What's it, Ichigo?" Isshin asked.

"I can't let her die! We're going after her! Or at least I am!" Ichigo declared.

The rest stood up. "If you're going, then we're going, too!" Uryu declared, leaving no room to argue in his tone.

"It's time that we went back to the Seireitei anyway. Alright, let's pack up while Ichigo talks to Kisuke about making a Senkeimon!" Isshin said with a grin.

Everyone cheered and Ichigo ran out the door, getting to Kisuke's store in moments using his Flicker.

He explained the situation to Kisuke, who nodded. "We'll get her back, don't worry," Kisuke said, smiling.

"Thank you, Uncle. How long will it take to get ready?" Ichigo asked gratefully.

"One week. Go get ready," Kisuke told him.

Ichigo nodded and left to go help pack up.

III

One week later, they were ready.

"Hey, Squirt, see if you can help us out while you're there, okay?" Shinji asked Ichigo.

"You got it. If all else fails, I can make you into Clan Retainers. You're practically family already, afterall," Ichigo said.

Shinji nodded. "Sounds good. Good luck, everyone," he said.

They nodded and then, one by one, ran into the Senkeimon.

"So, Ichigo, have you worked it out for yourself yet? Your feelings for Rukia?" Grim asked.

"Yeah, I think that I have. I'm in love with her, I know it," Ichigo answered.

"Good job. Now, what's that behind us?" Grim asked.

"The Sweeper. Ichigo, go ahead of us and then teleport us to you when you get to the other side!" Isshin ordered.

Ichigo nodded and did as told. Everyone picked themselves up off the ground and brushed themselves off. He'd found out that if someone was holding something that he'd made that he could teleport them to him, instead of just him to the item.

"What next, Isshin?" Ryuuken asked his longtime friend.

"I suppose that I could ask Kukaku for help with her giant cannon. I would go in the regular way, through over there, but a giant wall will fall down at high speeds, crushing anyone who tries to go through that isn't supposed to, if they're not careful at any rate," Isshin told them.

"So, could my Flicker work? Is it fast enough?" Ichigo asked.

Isshin looked thoughtful. "It just might be. I assume that once you get past and to a safe spot, you'll teleport us there?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded.

"Well try it later, if our first plan doesn't work. I need to talk to Kukaku anyway," Isshin said.

"Why Dad?" Grim asked as they began to follow Isshin.

"I need to get Ichigo instated as the Clan Head," Isshin said.

"Huh? Why me?!" Ichigo asked.

Isshin smiled slightly. "Because, according to Noble Family Laws, a Clan Head who has abandoned their post cannot retake their place. So you must take my place, being my Oldest Blood Child," he said.

Ichigo felt nervous, could he really be a good Clan Head? Could he live up to his Dad's expectations? He hoped that he could. Though being made the Clan Head gave him another idea for how to save Rukia.

They talked for awhile, before they came across a weird house with two arms sticking out of the ground in front of it.

"This is Kukaku-Oba's house?" Karin asked, wide eyed, looking incredulous.

Isshin laughed. "Indeed it is! It's pretty familiar if you know what to look for! No one else builds a house like she does!" he said.

He stepped forward and two men appeared on top of the arm statues. "Halt! Who dares to come before the Great Kukaku Shiba-Sama?!" the one in yellow yelled down.

"Koganehiko! Shiroganehiko! It is I, Isshin Shiba! I bring with me my family! My sons and daughters, my brother and my nephew!" Isshin yelled back.

There was silence for exactly twenty seconds before the front door opened, revealing Kukaku Shiba, her face expressionless. She scanned the group, eyes fixing on Isshin last. "It's you. Well well, the dead lives," she said, her voice empty.

Then, suddenly, her face and eyes filled with rage. "Kisama! How dare you?! How _dare you_?! You left for eighteen years and you come back now?! You made us think that you were dead! We mourned you! We suffered through the loss of our Noble Title because of you! And you dare to show your face here, as if you've never been gone? _How dare you_?!" she screamed, voice filled with rage, but no hate.

"I lost my powers to save my wife, Kukaku. I stayed with her and my children until she died. My powers started to come back then, but I still stayed there to raise my children, until Ichigo was old enough to take on the Clan Head Position. Please, forgive me, Imouto," Isshin said, a regretful look on his face.

Kukaku's face was stunned. "Isshin-Nii, I'm sorry. Please, come in," she said after a moment.

"Thank you, Kukaku," Isshin said, leading his family inside behind Kukaku.

Once in the living room, and they were all seated, Kukaku leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Now, Isshin-Nii, you said that you had a son who is to take my position?" she asked.

Isshin waved Ichigo forward, who knelt down down in a formal position, head bowed. "This is my Eldest Blood Son, Ichigo Kurosaki Shiba. He is powerful enough to have already mastered his Bankai, at fifteen years of age. He is also very rich," Isshin said.

Kukaku looked severely interested. Her eyes lit up. "How rich are we talking about here?" she asked.

Isshin and the others turned to Ichigo, curiosity on their faces. "I don't know. Ichigo?" Isshin asked.

Ichigo pointed a finger to in front of Kukaku and a paper lay there.

"How did this get here?" she asked, picking it up. She glanced at the figure and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. The paper slipped from her fingers and fell back to the floor.

Isshin curiously snagged it and looked at it himself. He copied Kukaku. Ichigo banished the paper before anyone else could see it, blushing royally.

The silence lasted roughly three minutes before Kukaku came out of her stupor. "And how did you get that much? Is it easier to get money in the Human World than it is here?" she asked.

"I own several businesses across the world, making me lots of money," Ichigo explained.

"Must be some businesses! Alright! Power, Money, all that's left is the paperwork!" Kukaku said.

Scanning her mind, Ichigo knew what the Documents should say, so he made them appear in front of him, his name signed on every proper line.

She blinked and read through them, becoming more amazed as she got further in. "How did you do this? A Paperwork Kido?" she asked as she finished.

"Kind of. A side effect of my Shikai. I can control plants, that includes wood, to make paper, and berries, to make ink. Combining both gives you those documents," he explained.

"And them being exactly as I wanted?" she asked.

"Kido, to know what you wanted. It's something that my Zanpakuto showed me how to do," he said.

"So, it's a Zanpakuto ability?" she asked.

He nodded.

She nodded back. "Good, saves us time. It's official, you're the new Shiba Clan Head. Congratulations, Shiba-Sama," she said.

Ichigo bowed his head. "Thank you, Councilwoman Kukaku," he said.

She bowed her head back.

Isshin grinned. "Now, it's time for the Induction Ceremony! Except for the Alcohol. He's not allowed. None of the children are," he said.

Kukaku nodded. "Of course not. No one under thirty are served alcohol by me. Now, Ganju!" she called.

A door opened and kneeling there was a boy of around seventeen. "Hello, I am Ganju Shiba. Please be good to me!" he said, eyes closed with a smile.

Then he opened them and his eyes landed on Isshin. "I-I-I-Isshin-Nii-San?!" he yelled in shock.

"Hey, Ganju. Where have you been?" Isshin asked.

"Out with friends. You're alive?!" Ganju asked with a big grin.

He got filled in and then he got sent off to the Kitchens to inform the Cooks that there needed to be a feast for the Induction Ceremony. They needed to cook for fifteen people.

After the Induction Ceremony, Ichigo created some Documents to make the Non-Blood Members of their family into Retainers, protecting them from the Central 46, and others who wanted to hurt them.

For now they all looked like regular people, but that wouldn't last long, so he needed this protection in place before he began to deal with Soul Society. His second order of business was to send out a request to Yamamoto-Sotaicho as Shiba-Sama, Clan Head of the Shiba Family.

He needed to talk to him.

III

Yamamoto blinked in surprise as he saw a piece of paper appear on his desk. Picking it up, he saw that it was a note signed by the Eighth Shiba Clan Head. Curiosity aroused, he read the note, which turned out to be a request for them to meet and talk.

He wrote a note back, accepting the meeting and setting the time to eight in the morning the next day. He watched with interest as it vanished, leaving nothing behind, not even a Reiatsu signature. He thought of the possibilities of this and decided to be careful with this new Lord Shiba.

III

At eight in the morning the next day, Ichigo(who was dressed in Formal attire) was led into Yamamoto's Private Meeting Room. Yamamoto was already sitting down, waiting for him to arrive.

Ichigo bowed. "Yamamoto-Sotaicho, Clan Head of the Noble Yamamoto Family, I greet thee," he spoke formally.

Yamamoto inclined his head back, not one to bow to another, especially not to a teenage boy. "Shiba-Sama, Clan Head of the Once Noble, Lesser Shiba Family," he spoke back.

They straightened and Yamamoto gestured to the seat opposite himself. "Seat yourself, Shiba-Sama. Now, what is it that you would like to talk to me about?" he asked.

"The truth about Rukia Kuchiki's stay in the Human World," Ichigo said.

"Oh? And how would you know about such a thing as that, Lord Shiba?" Yamamoto asked curiously.

"Because it was I who found her, I who helped to patch her up, and I who wanted to keep her there until she was completely healed, which she is not," Ichigo answered.

"Kuchiki was injured? She merely said that her Hell Butterfly was destroyed in battle with a Hollow," Yamamoto said.

He knew that Rukia's energy had gone low on the Monitor, but it was assumed that she had defeated the Hollow and gone into hiding until they had found her. But for her to be severely injured?

"Tell me everything," he commanded.

Ichigo nodded and told the entire story, from sensing Rukia, to going to Soul Society to save her from death, though leaving some things out, such as the Seki Seki dust.

Yamamoto nodded gravely. "So, Isshin Shiba is alive. If not for special Laws in place for Former Royal Guards, he would also be arrested to be executed for Desertion of Duty. Now, you wish to save her, and that is admirable. However, it is up to the Central 46 to order her release. I will try to help you, but if they say no, then there is nothing that I can do," he said.

Ichigo nodded back seriously. "No, there is nothing that you can do, but I can do something. Be warned, if she is not released then I will release her, and you will not be able to find her again for you to execute her," he said.

Yamamoto narrowed his eyes. "Don't be so presumptuous, boy," he said.

"Yamamoto-Sama, I am not. Go ahead, prove to me that I am being so. I am in the room with you, sense my Reiatsu," Ichigo said respectfully.

Yamamoto tried, and his eyes widened when he realized that he couldn't sense it at all. It was as if he was hiding inside of a wall of Seki Seki stone, unable to be sensed. Even those Captains who hid their Reiatsu couldn't help a small leak of Reiatsu at times, but this boy was unable to be sensed at all!

"How?" he asked.

"I can cloak others, too, and I don't even need to be around them to do it. I will say it once again, Yamamoto-Sotaicho-Sama. Release her, or I will," Ichigo said, still respectful, though slightly intimidating.

Yamamoto shivered, though he didn't let it show. He knew that he was right, Shiba-Sama was one to be careful of. He had no doubts that Shiba-Sama was fully able to make due on his promise. He could only hope that the Central 46 would listen.

He nodded. "Heard. I will do my best. Dismissed," he said.

Ichigo got up, bowed, and left, not looking back.

III

'So, Ichigo-Kun is alive afterall. Very good. However, there is no telling how strong he has gotten. I will set up my failsafe and go to Hueco Mundo in advance, just in case.'

III

Yamamoto closed his eyes as he read the report from the Central 46, which denied Rukia's freedom and instead moved it up to the next day.

He felt fear as he saw the report disappear and then reappear a minute later. He didn't know what this boy was capable of, but he didn't want to be in his way when the boy saved Rukia.

Unfortunately, he had to be.

III

Ichigo stood up after reading the report with his own eyes and sending it back. The others looked at him.

"Suit up and get ready for tomorrow. I tried the Diplomatic approach, now it's time for the Pure Power approach. Tomorrow, we save Rukia!" he announced.

Everyone cheered, then stood up and went away to get ready. Isshin, Karin, Yuzu, Grim, Nel, Pesche, Donda, Tatsuki, Uryu, Chad, Orihime and Ryuuken, Ichigo watched as they all did as he said.

With a stunning realization, he realized that it had always been like this, ever since he'd awakened his powers. Did he really command so much loyalty that they would do whatever he said, when he said it?

He looked at Rollo and Yuki, who were getting ready in their own ways, and he felt his heart constrict. Any one of them could die because of him, so why did they still listen?

" _ **Because they love you, King, just as we do,"**_ Shiro said warmly.

" **He is correct, Ichigo. We all love you, so we would do anything for you, just as we know that you would do the same for us,"** Ossan said.

Ichigo smiled. 'Thank you. I feel better now,' he said.

" _ **Anytime, King!"**_ Shiro said.

" **It's what we're here for,"** Ossan said.

Ichigo nodded and began to get ready.

III

Rukia had no last wishes, except perhaps one. "Allow me to talk to Kuchiki-Sama one last time, to tell him how I feel," she said.

That gave everyone pause, and took a bite out of Byakuya's heart to hear her address him by that title.

Yamamoto nodded. "Very well then, go ahead," he allowed.

"Thank you, Yamamoto-Sotaicho. Kuchiki-Sama, the time that I spent in the Human world made me realize some things. Such as, you are not a Big Brother, and I don't think of you as family. You may have adopted me, but we both know that that was out of a duty that you felt you had to your late wife, the woman who claimed to be my sister, Hisana.

But you never paid more attention to me than you needed to, never smiled at me, you only talked to me when you needed to, you hardly ever looked at me, or even in my direction!

While I was healing after the attack from that Hollow and I was saved, I became part of a real family, with real Big Brothers, a real Dad, and real Sisters. I love them and feel that I owe them far more loyalty than anyone here in Soul Society! They took me in and treated me as part of their family without even knowing me! And guess what? The one who saved me? He's half Quincy! His Uncle and Cousin? Full Quincies!

And yet, despite being called our enemies, they made me a part of their family! Heck, the one who saved me offered to let me kill him once I was healed, as long as I let him heal me! This just goes to show that those who we call our enemies can be our friends!

But you, Kuchiki-Sama, who is supposed to be my brother, can't show me even a quarter of the love that they showed to me on a daily basis! Not even if you had a hundred years to do it! You proved that! I no longer consider you my Brother! No one here has shown me as much love as that family, though Ukitake-Taicho has tried, I will give him that. I go to my death letting you know how I feel.

Thank you, I am done now, Sotaicho," Rukia finished.

It took some time to react after that brutal tongue lashing, and Byakuya felt devastated, not that he let it show.

Jushiro reacted first. "Rukia-Chan, I want you to know that I consider you my daughter! I am sorry for what we must do! I am sorry that I failed you, but I couldn't unseal the Artifacts in time!" he said, crying.

She gave him a sad smile. "It's alright. I am content with my death. Now, let's get this over with!" she said.

Yamamoto nodded warily, knowing that any second now Shiba-Sama would show up to save her. He got her into position on the pseudo Crucifix and activated the Soukyoku.

It gave a screech and lunged forward, only to be stopped by something. All of the Captains and Lieutenants squinted and their jaws dropped as they saw a teenage boy, of all things, standing in the air, back facing the Soukyoku, stopping it, not even paying attention to it as he looked at Rukia.

III

Rukia's eyes shone with happiness as she saw Ichigo standing there, smiling at her. "Ichigo!" she cried happily.

"Hey, Rukia," he said, smiling wider.

"How are you here? How are you stopping that thing?" she asked, amazed.

"Oh, I did forget to tell you, didn't I? I meant to tell you the day that you left, but we were all pretty upset by your leaving, so I forgot, sorry. My dad is a Shinigami, so I'm half Quincy, half Shinigami. My Zanpakutos are pretty powerful, so, thanks to them, my power is amplified by a lot," he said.

Rukia nodded. "I don't care how right now, just, please, save me! I'm sorry that I left!" she said, tears falling.

Ichigo nodded and crushed the Soukyoku using sand, destroying it. Then he flew over to Rukia and cut her free, catching her as she fell. "Don't cry, Rukia. I'm here," he said.

She ignored his advice and she buried her head into his chest, sobbing. She'd thought that she would never see him again, so her actions could be forgiven.

Ichigo landed on the ground near the woods and he was surrounded by their family, all set to protect Rukia, Rollo growling and Yuki hissing. Ichigo faced the assembled Captains and spoke to Yamamoto. "Yamamoto-Sama, I told you that I would free her. Now, we will leave," he said.

"I don't think so, Ichigo-Kun. You see, I have some interest in Rukia. Her soul is holding something that I wish," a voice said.

Ichigo backhanded the man away, right as Grim kicked him away. The man got up to reveal Aizen.

He was angry. "How dare you hurt me? How can you see me, anyway? You should be under my illusions right now!" he said.

Ichigo gave him a bored look. "As if I would tell you. Now, if you're talking about the Hogyokyu, then I will tell you that she doesn't have it! It's where it belongs!" he said.

"Kisuke, then. Very well, farewell, Ichigo Kurosaki, for now," Aizen said.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and handed Rukia to Grim. Then he was gone and a whirlwind appeared around Aizen, pressing into him from all sides, keeping him in place and cutting off his air supply, choking him to death. Once Ichigo saw this, he ran against the current to dissipate the funnel. The other Captains gasped as they saw Aizen there, dead.

Then Gin Ichimaru grinned, wider than any of his others, and a real one, too. "Yes! He's dead! Thank you, Ichi-Kun!" he said.

Tosen turned to Gin, a snarl on his face. "You dare to celebrate Aizen-Sama's death?! Traitor!" he said.

Gin grinned again. "Nuh-uh! I'm no traitor! You and Aizen were the traitors! He was crazy anyway! Wantin' ta be the Soul King by killin' the current one! That's an Execution waitin' ta happen, I tell ya!" he said.

Tosen lunged at Gin, but a wall stopped him. He was then encased in sand, and the sand constricted. When it fell away, there was Tosen's mangled, bloody corpse.

Gin laughed. "Haha! That's what ya get, ya Justice obsessed freak!" he said.

Everyone had been frozen upon seeing this, but when they became unfrozen they all looked at Ichigo, who was now with his family again.

"Sotaicho-Sama, shouldn't we kill him? He just killed two Captains!" Soifon yelled.

Yamamoto shook his head. "No. According to our old Laws, a Resident of Soul Society who kills a Captain must become a Captain themselves, taking the place of the Captain that they killed," he said.

"What?!" she yelled.

They were all cut off by Isane Kotetsu speaking into all of their minds, telling them about Aizen's betrayal and the death of the Central 46, who had been dead for at least a month, which meant that Aizen had been the one giving orders for a while now.

Yamamoto smiled as he saw his out and the way to restore the peace. "Well, it looks like Rukia never needed to be executed in the first place, as it wasn't the real Central 46 ordering her death afterall," he said to them.

He called across to Ichigo. "Shiba-Sama! I end our hostilities! We will no longer be required to execute Rukia! Please accept!"

Scene Shift

Ichigo heard, but he turned to Rukia anyway.

She nodded. "Please? I don't want to have to run forever," she said.

He smiled gently and nodded. "Yamamoto-Sotaicho-Sama, I accept the ceasing of hostilities! What now?" he called back.

"Please accept the place of either the Captain of the Fifth Division or the Ninth Division. Seeing as you killed both Squad Captains, you get to choose," Yamamoto said.

Ichigo nodded, knowing that this cemented him in Soul Society, just as he wanted. "I choose the Ninth, as that Division is not specialized! I recruit my family to this end! Please allow us to speak later about my whole family," he said.

Yamamoto nodded. "I will get you a Captain's Hayori later, seeing as this one is no longer usable," he said.

"No need. Here," Ichigo said, creating a perfect Ninth Division Captain's Hayori on his shoulders.

Everyone went slackjawed. "How?" they asked.

"I can control plants. Cotton is a plant, therefore I can create this. Ink is made from berries, therefore there is the design," Ichigo said, shrugging.

"So, Plants, Sand and Barriers?" Yamamoto asked.

"Yes, and far more," Ichigo said.

"I see. Are you going to have Rukia-San live with you from now on?" Yamamoto asked.

"That is up to her. She is a part of the family, but she is also a Kuchiki, so it is her choice," Ichigo said, turning to her.

"With my family. I no longer see myself as a Kuchiki," she said with a smile.

"Rukia, wait! Please! Let me have a second chance!" Byakuya said, sounding desperate and devastated all at once. Well, as desperate and devastated as Byakuya _could_ sound.

She turned to him, surprised and somewhat angry, but Grim spoke first.

"Why should my Imouto speak to you?! It's obvious by what she said earlier that she doesn't care for you! Just let it go!" Grim yelled, angry that Rukia was angry.

You hear that? That was the sound of Byakuya's heart shattering.

Rukia smiled at Grim, and hugged him. "It's alright, Grim-Nii. I'll talk to him," she said.

That was the sound of the pieces of Byakuya's heart falling at her calling someone else 'Brother', though grateful tears made their way to his eyes, just barely there. He was grateful that she would talk to him, even after she made it known how she felt.

"Thank you, Rukia," he said in a whisper.

"You're welcome. You want a second chance? You had lots of second chances to be a good and proper big brother. Heck, you had one just minutes ago while I was being executed! You could have fought for me, but you didn't! You want another chance? Learn how to be a good Big Brother first, before I'll even think about calling you by that title again, Kuchiki-Sama," Rukia said, voice cold, having found her backbone again while living with the Kurosaki's, now Shiba's.

The tears fell from Byakuya's eyes as he let his head fall to conceal them. "I will do so, Rukia," he said, just loud enough for her to hear.

"Let's go home, alright, Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

She nodded with a smile. She squealed as Grim put her on his shoulders and carried her there. Nel grinned at her from her spot on Ichigo's shoulder, and Rukia grinned back. She saw an exact replica of the Kurosaki's house, except bigger, on the outskirts of the Seireitei.

As everyone walked in, she said, "I'm home!"

Everyone else turned around to smile or grin at her. "Welcome home!" they said.

She grinned back, and the empty spot in her heart that was empty felt full again, and she knew that she was home once more, where she belonged, with a family who loved her.

III

'So, Ichigo-Kun is faster and smarter than I thought. It was a good idea to set up my failsafe. Now, how to deal with Kisuke Urahara?' a man thought as he sat upon his throne, in a city that was in a desert of eternal night.

He smiled suddenly. 'Ah, I have an idea! Now, where are Tosen and Gin?'

III

 **Alright, and that's a wrap!**

 **I still have a few Chapters left in me, but I'm watching Bleach again just to refresh my memory, and I'm wading through all the Filler, so please bear with me.**

 **Please tell me which Fillers you think I should do, or not do. However, the Zanpakuto Rebellion Arc is still happening.**

 **Alright, by for now! See you next Chapter!**

 **Aisu.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Wow, it amazes me how so many people missed that obvious hint at the bottom of the last chapter! Oh well, maybe that's my fault for writing him off like that and tricking people. Hopefully this chapter makes people feel better about his end.**

 **Also, in this chapter, I use something that I have never seen anyone else use before. It might have been done, I've just never seen it done before. Next Chapter will hold more details, I believe.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 5

Ichigo walked into Yamamoto's office two hours later. "Yamamoto-Sama," he said as he took a seat.

"Shiba-Taicho. Or is this as Shiba-Sama?" Yamamoto asked.

"A little of both. First, as Shiba-Taicho, I am repeating myself. I am taking my family into my Squad. Do you object?" Ichigo asked.

"Are all of them Shinigami?" Yamamoto asked.

"No, but they are powerful and they will listen to me as their Captain, no one else," Ichigo said.

Yamamoto nodded. "Very well. I do not object. And as Shiba-Sama?" he asked.

"Two things. Here are the Forms and the Money to make my Clan Noble once again," Ichigo said, the papers and money appearing on the desk.

Yamamoto looked at it, nodded, and signed it. "Congratulations, Shiba-Sama, Lord of the Noble Shiba Family. And the other?" he asked.

"Before I start on that, what do you know of the truth of what happened to Shinji Hirako and the other seven?" Ichigo asked, leaning forward slightly.

Yamamoto blinked at the sudden change of topic. "Kisuke Urahara, the Traitor, experimented on them, turning them into half Hollows. Then, when they were supposed to be executed, Yoruichi Shihoin rescued them and they escaped to the Human World. We do not know what has happened since. Though the lack of deaths is rather surprising," he answered anyway.

"Wrong. _Aizen_ experimented on them, Hollowfying them. Kisuke _saved_ them, making them safe to be around again. It was _Aizen_ who experimented on and let loose the Hollow known as Metestacia, the one who killed my Uncle, Kaien Shiba. It was _Aizen_ who experimented upon and let loose in Karakura Town the Hollow known as Shiro, whom my Dad went after, and who almost killed my father, until my mother saved him.

However, Shiro, instead of dying, was absorbed into my mother and almost killed her, causing my father to give up his powers to save her life. All of this? Aizen's fault.

That is why I ask you to absolve Kisuke, Yoruichi, and the other eight, of any crimes that you have accused them of, and let them back into Soul Society. If you cannot do that, then I already have paperwork in place to make them Retainers of my Clan, legally absolving them of any crimes that are charged against them anyway," Ichigo said, steel in his voice, masked by a pleasant tone and respectful words, but still able to be heard quite clearly.

Yamamoto would never admit to anyone that this boy scared him, but he also greatly respected him. "I only have your word to go by. How can I believe you completely?" he asked, not sure if he should believe Ichigo.

"What if I give you my word as a Clan Head and as a Captain? Alone those would be enough, but together? Is that enough for you?" Ichigo asked.

Yamamoto was stunned. You only invoked your word as Clan Head if you were completely serious about something. If you were found to be lying after you used it, then you died. For Shiba-Sama to invoke this said that he meant what he said.

"I believe you. I will write up letters of apology to them, absolving them of the crimes laid against them, and reimburse them for time lost. I will send you with them tomorrow. Is this okay?" he asked.

"Yes, this is fine. Also, I give you my word as a Clan Head and as a Captain, and also upon my name, that none of my family are a threat to you, no matter their species, unless any of us are harmed by someone," Ichigo said.

That was the most serious type of oath one could give, the repercussion being the destruction of your soul, so he believed Ichigo, but the way that it was worded made him wary.

"What do you mean, unless harmed by someone? And what do you mean, 'no matter their species'? What species are they?" Yamamoto asked, concerned.

"I mean, if I were attacked, or harmed, they would attack the one who attacked me, just the way I would if any of them were harmed. We are a Unit and we protect eachother. A threat against one is a threat against all. We fight for eachother, together. As for species, Fullbringer, Quincy, Shinigami, Quincy-Shinigami, and Arrancar," Ichigo explained.

"I've never heard of the last one," Yamamoto admitted with a frown.

"Don't freak out, okay? Just remember that if none of our own get attacked that they won't be a danger. Also, remember that they are loyal to me, okay?" Ichigo asked.

Yamamoto nodded, a foreboding feeling building up in his chest.

"They are a new evolution of Hollow. They are Hollows with Shinigami powers. They are Hollows that have thrown away their inhumanities and have taken upon themselves Human characteristics. They have ripped off their masks and no longer eat other souls. Their evolution stops and the only way for them to grow stronger is to train. They have been with me since I was nine and they have harmed nobody but other Hollows who were attacking our family," Ichigo said.

The only thing keeping Yamamoto calm was a mixture of curiosity and the knowledge of Ichigo's Oath. "How did you meet them, Shiba-Sama?" he asked.

So Ichigo recounted the tales of how he met Grim, Nel, Pesche and Donda.

Yamamoto rubbed his beard. "Interesting. I believe you, but others might try to harm them, or won't accept them at best. I suggest that you announce this to the other Captains first and then let them announce it to their Squads. Do you have any protections in place for them?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded. "I have made them into Clan Retainers. That should save them from all but those who have a death wish," he said.

"Indeed. Very well, anything else, Shiba-Sama?" Yamamoto asked.

"No, I believe that I am done, Yamamoto-Sama. Thank you for your time," Ichigo said, bowing his head.

"Wait, Shiba-Sama. Could I please have an accurate description of your powers?" Yamamoto asked before Ichigo could get up.

"Zangetsu has powers over all forces of nature and speed. Mugetsu has powers over Bones and speed. Pretty much anything that you can imagine doing with those I can do," Ichigo said, leaving out the fact that they could also control Quincy and Hollow powers respectively.

"I see. You have two Zanpakuto? Not a Dual Zanpakuto, but two separate Zanpakuto?" Yamamoto asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Yes, that is correct," he said.

"How did this happen?" Yamamoto asked.

"When I was born, both chose me. Instead of fighting it out, they decided to share me," Ichigo said.

"Most interesting. I had never heard of such a thing before. And as for their powers, they are some of the strongest that I have ever heard of," Yamamoto said, intrigued.

Ichigo shrugged modestly. "I guess so," he said.

"Have you achieved Bankai yet? If now, I can have someone help you do so. Do not be ashamed if you haven't. It takes even the best of us ten years or more to achieve it after mastering Shikai. It took myself nine years," Yamamoto said.

"Yes, I have achieved Bankai. I achieved Shikai when I was eight and Bankai when I was eleven. I have since mastered both, in the traditional sense," Ichigo answered.

Yamamoto tried hard not to lose control over his facial features. "So young? How? And what do you mean by, 'in the traditional sense'?" he asked.

"I have a very good relationship with my Zanpakutos, making them tell me all of their uses and teach me how to use them in record time. By 'Traditional sense', I mean that all of you stop training when you have learned and perfected every attack that you have. I will stop training when I can use all of my powers in my Sealed state. I can use all of my Shikai and part of my Bankai in my Sealed state, now I just need all of Bankai in my Sealed state for me to consider it mastered," Ichigo said.

"And how do you do that?" Yamamoto asked, curious.

"By becoming so familiar with the attack that you can use it no matter what state you're in," Ichigo answered.

Yamamoto absorbed that tidbit, thinking that it was too bad that his was so dangerous, otherwise he could do this training.

"Can you do anything else?" he asked.

"By creating a stone or a Jewel, I can store Reiatsu into it, making it into a type of Reiatsu battery. I can do it with most items that I make, but stones work best," Ichigo said.

"Dangerous if in the wrong hands," Yamamoto observed.

"That is true. But, Yamamoto-Sama, the entire time that I've been training, it has been with the sole purpose of saving others. There are major threats on the loose and I've been training to stop them since I was eight. I promise on everything that I am that I am of no threat to Soul Society, unless it becomes one to me first by trying to kill me or my family," Ichigo said.

Yamamoto nodded. "I accept that. Anything else?" he asked.

"I do not believe so, Sir. Except, perhaps, don't let your guard down. I don't believe that Aizen is dead. I do not believe that I killed him. I believe that what I killed was a fake that held his powers and personality. I do not know how, though. I only know that he will not die so easily, so be careful, Sir," Ichigo warned.

Yamamoto nodded. "Warning heard and accepted. If there is nothing more than that, then you are dismissed until tomorrow. There will also be a Captain's meeting in two days time to let you meet the other Captains and them meet you," he said.

Ichigo nodded and bowed. "Thank you, Sir," he said and he left.

He quickly cloaked himself in the light refractions to make himself invisible and he made his way to the Ninth Division to see what they acted like when not supervised.

What he saw made him angry. About forty Officers were bullying the weaker or more timid members, either by insults, or physically. He walked into the center of this and unveiled himself, making everyone freeze.

He Flickered from his spot for a split second before he was back in the center. Around him, screams of shock or pain erupted as afterimages appeared from where he'd been, from when the bullies had been physically knocked away from their victims. His face was stone cold as they looked at him.

"Kisama! What was that for?! Who do you think you are?! You'll be sorry when our new Captain gets here!" one bully yelled foolishly from where he was on the ground.

"I don't think that I will be sorry. Why? Because _I'm_ your new Captain. And as for what that was for, bullying is wrong and I will not stand for it. We are Shinigami, not Mercenaries, and we will act like it. If you wish to bully someone else, then I will seal your powers and you can go back to the Rukongai," Ichigo said coldly.

Everyone there paled, except for the bully who spoke, who turned red with anger. "Kisama!" he yelled, getting up and charging.

Ichigo didn't blink, or even move a muscle. There was just suddenly a sword at the bully's throat, making him stop dead, paling significantly as he started to sweat.

"Attacking a Captain unless in a spar carries the Death Penalty. Do you wish for me to invoke the Penalty?" Ichigo asked calmly, making more swords surround the bully until only his head was exposed, leaving him unable to escape.

The bully seemed to see this and he calmed down considerably. "N-no, Taicho. I will make the correct penance as you order. I do not have a lot of money, but I can work without pay for the next Century if you wish," he said.

"No, the Penalty that I require you to serve should take less out of you and not as much sacrifice, but it will be served for the rest of your life. You will no longer Bully, and you will stop any bullying that you see going on. You will not turn a blind eye to it. Do you understand?" Ichigo asked, staring the bully down.

"Yes, Sir. I will comply," the bully said, not nodding for fear of slitting his throat.

Ichigo banished the swords. "Very well then. Name? Rank?" he asked.

"Sota Kishara, I have no rank, Taicho," the ex-bully said.

Ichigo nodded. "Allow me to properly introduce myself to all of you. My name is Ichigo Kurosaki Shiba, Clan Head of the Noble Shiba Family, Captain of Squad Nine," he said, giving a cheerful smile.

Sota paled so much that he looked like a dead corpse. He had attacked not only a Captain, but a Noble Lord! He was so lucky that Shiba-Taicho had not asked for his death! That was it, he would do his best to never anger Shiba-Taicho again! He would obey all orders perfectly!

The fact that Shiba-Taicho seemed to be able to materialize many swords whenever and wherever he wanted to didn't hurt this decision. Not at all.

"Now, as I have said before, I will not tolerate any form of bullying whatsoever, so it stops now, or you will fight me, and we won't stop until I say to stop. Do all of you understand me?" Ichigo asked, face a blank mask again.

"Ha! What could you possibly do to us?" a rather stupid bully asked, obviously forgetting what had happened to Sota just moments ago.

Without looking or moving, Ichigo picked the bully up in a sand cocoon and put a slight pressure on him. Everyone else froze, sure that the bully would be killed.

"So what?! I can easily get out of this!" the bully boasted.

"So try," Ichigo said in a casual voice.

A full minute passed with the only movement being the bully putting his face into a scowl.

"You can't," Ichigo said at last. He tightened the sand a little more, making the bully cry out.

"The bullying will stop, or I will seal your powers away. Do we understand eachother?" he asked, loosening the sand again.

"Y-yes, Taicho," the bully said.

Ichigo banished the sand, letting the guy drop back to the ground. Ichigo scanned the entire Squad. "That goes for all of you. I do not wish to rule this Squad through fear, though I am not above it. I wish to run this Squad through mutual respect. Those who can not stand me, you may transfer to another Squad.

Those who stay, I will gladly work with. We are comrades, and I am supposed to be someone who you can come to with all of your problems, but I am also your Captain, which means that all of my orders are to be obeyed. Am I understood?" he asked.

The Squad nodded.

"Who wishes to be transferred?" he asked.

Many of the bullies, including the one from the Sand Coffin, raised their hands.

Ichigo nodded. "Have the forms on my desk by tonight, have your things packed by morning, and you can leave. I will have the paperwork done by then and on the other Captain's desks. You are dismissed to do this," he said.

The group left, leaving Ichigo to stare at another eighty or so people. "Seated Officers line up in front of me, please," he said.

There were only two people who stood in front of him.

"Let me guess, the other Seated Officers just left?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir," a male with the number 69 on his left cheek said. He had the Lieutenant badge, so Ichigo could easily guess what Rank he was.

Ichigo nodded. "Right then. I will replace them soon. Your names and Seats?" he asked.

"Shuuhei Hisagi, I am the Lieutenant," the male said.

"Taichi Ruso, I am the Seventh Seat, Shiba-Taicho," the other male said.

Ichigo nodded and then scanned them with his Reiatsu. Taichi was about what he expected. Average power, average control over Shikai, no Bankai. Reasonable relationship with his Zanpakuto. All in all, okay.

Shuuhei, however, surprised him. Good power, good control over Shikai, no Bankai, but a bad relationship with his Zanpakuto.

"Shuuhei-Fukutaicho, I can hear your Zanpakuto's grief and pain, along with his anger. Why do you not help him?" he asked.

"I do not like my Shikai, Sir," Shuuhei answered, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"So? Our Shikai and Bankai become what we need the most. Our Zanpakuto know what we need the most because they are a part of our soul. The fact that you are hurting him because he became what you needed the most is inexcusable. Please try to heal the rift that is there between the two of you. Can you do that?" Ichigo admonished.

"Yes, Sir," Shuuhei said, blushing a bit. Most likely out of embarrassment from being publicly scolded and chastised, from somebody younger than him no less.

Ichigo scanned the other eighty-odd people and found that almost none of them had achieved Shikai yet. Well, that would change, and soon!

"Alright, here is your assignments for today! Speak with your Zanpakuto and try to forge a bond with them. Remember that they are a part of your soul, so they should be treated with respect. The better the bond, the stronger your Shikai and Bankai! The second is to perfect any attacks that you have if you have Shikai! Got it?" he asked.

"Yes, Shiba-Taicho!" came from everyone there.

"Good. Are there any that are not here that I did not send away?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, Sir. Four Unseated Officers who are in the Fourth Division, resting up after a training accident," Sota said.

Ichigo nodded. "Then I will go to visit them now. If anyone needs me after half an hour, I will be in my office," he said.

They nodded and he left.

He made his way to the Fourth Squad and came across Unohana-Taicho. "Excuse me, Unohana-Taicho? I was wondering where the injured members of my Squad were. Can you help me?" he asked politely.

She gave him a smile. "Of course, Shiba-Taicho. Follow me," she said, and she led him to a room where a familiar young man was working.

"Sora?!" Ichigo asked.

Sora turned, surprised, but then he smiled. "Ichigo! How are you? How is Orihime?" he asked.

"I'm fine, so is she! We live in Soul Society now, so you can visit whenever," Ichigo said.

"You both are dead?" Sora asked, frowning.

"Not yet, but we will be in two weeks," Ichigo said.

Sora was confused. "What do you mean, Ichigo?" he asked, not understanding.

"Come around to the house later and I'll tell you all of the details then, okay?" Ichigo asked.

Sora smiled and nodded. "Sure," he said.

"You know eachother well?" Unohana asked.

"Yes, Taicho. My little sister is his friend," Sora said.

"I see. Well then, that makes us family! Sora is like my son, so welcome to the family, Ichigo!" she said with a smile.

Ichigo smiled back and bowed. "Thank you, Unohana-Taicho," he said.

He turned to his Squad Members and scanned them. "They seem to be fine. Well, I won't worry about them under your care, Ma'am. I have to go back to my Office now to take care of the Paperwork. I leave them in your care, Sora, Unohana-Taicho," he said.

"See you later, Ichigo," Sora said.

"I will take good care of them!" Unohana said, smiling.

Ichigo nodded and headed back to his Office, where he found Jushiro waiting nervously. "Ukitake-Taicho, hello," he said, sitting down and waving for Jushiro to sit as well, which he did.

"Ah, hello, Shiba-Taicho. I have come for two things. One is to thank you for saving Rukia-Chan. The other is to ask if you plan on switching her to your Squad?" Jushiro asked.

Ichigo was silent for a minute as he listened to the thoughts that were practically throwing themselves into his head, before he spoke. "You don't want her to leave your Squad, because she is like your daughter, correct?" he asked.

Jushiro nodded. "That is correct," he said.

"But you're worried, because I said that I would have my family in my Squad, and she counts as my family?" Ichigo asked.

Jushiro nodded again. "Correct again," he said.

Ichigo smiled. "I don't think that you need to worry about that, as she has already expressed a desire to stay in your Squad, so I won't move her. Is this okay with you?" he asked.

Jushiro sighed in relief. "Yes, that's great news. Thank you, Shiba-Taicho," he said.

"Just call me Ichigo. I am the younger one, afterall," Ichigo said.

Jushiro nodded. "That's fine, Ichigo," he said.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, would you like some tea?" Ichigo asked, holding up a cup of tea.

Jushiro didn't bother to ask where it had come from, he just merely took it with a thank you and sipped it. "Exemplary. Where did you get this tea? It is the best that I have tasted," he said with a smile.

"I make my own blend of teas. I can give some to you, if you'd like?" Ichigo asked, smiling back.

"That would be wonderful, thank you!" Jushiro said happily.

"Not a problem, Ukitake-Taicho," Ichigo said.

"Ah, call me Jushiro! My daughter likes you, so you are a part of my family through her!" Jushiro said.

He didn't know what family meant to Ichigo, neither did Unohana, didn't know that Ichigo was fanatically devoted to his family, keeping them safe and happy, otherwise they might not have made that statement so lightly. But when they made that statement, Ichigo's resolve to save them firmed up by a lot. He would do anything to keep them safe and happy.

"Thank you, Jushiro. I accept your feelings and invite you to dine with my family tonight and any other night that you so choose," Ichigo said.

"Thank you, Ichigo. I think that I will accept that invitation," Jushiro said, smiling.

Ichigo nodded. They made small talk for several more minutes before Jushiro left.

Ichigo then focused on his Paperwork... which he did in two seconds flat. One second to scan the Paperwork with his mind and one to sign them and send them to Yamamoto's desk.

"Okay, done. Now what to do? Ah, I know, how about taking care of the applications to set up my shops here in Seireitei and Rukongai?" he asked himself.

He did so and sent them in. That took another five seconds, taking so long only because he had to create them, but leaving him bored again once he finished.

'Why did I want to become a Captain again? It's so boring!' he complained in his mind.

" _ **It's for your family, Kingy! Keeping them safe and happy, right?"**_ Shiro snickered.

Ichigo's eyes ignited with determination. 'Right! If doing that means being bored, then so be it!' he said.

" **Oh dear. Here we go again. Thanks, Shiro,"** Ossan sighed.

Shiro winced. _**"Sorry,"**_ he said.

" **Hey, Ichigo, why don't you leave a Clone here and follow through with your promise to Jushiro?"** Ossan suggested.

Ichigo brightened. 'Yes, I'll do that! I'm not bored, and I get to make my family happy!' he said and he left a clone behind as he Flickered to the Thirteenth Squad Barracks.

He snuck in invisibly, not wanting to let people know that he was there, and went straight to Jushiro's Office. He opened the cabinets, found the tea cabinets, and some empty cabinets, and filled them with jars of different flavored tea, all labeled accordingly. He left a note for Jushiro and left.

'I'm bored again,' he said.

" _ **ADHD much, Ichigo?"**_ Shiro asked.

Ichigo shrugged. 'A little. I'm glad that I'm not stuck doing Paperwork like normal Captains, but I get bored easily. You know that,' he said, frowning.

" _ **So train, or spend time with your family, or introduce your family as new Members of your Squad,"**_ Shiro suggested.

Ichigo nodded. 'I can do that,' he said.

He Flickered to his home to see those who had no Squad training or doing nothing.

"Okay! Time for you to meet your new Squad!" he announced.

They turned to him and nodded, those who were training powering down.

He led them to the Ninth Division Barracks at a reasonable pace. And by reasonable, he meant not at his full speed, only a quarter of his full speed. All of the Squad Members stopped and looked at them.

Shuuhei stepped up. "Shiba-Taicho, who are they, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked.

"You may ask. These are new Members of our Squad, and they will be Seated Officers," Ichigo said.

"Does that mean that Taichi and I will lose our places, Sir?" Shuuhei asked.

Taichi also looked curious.

"No. I'm sure that you know that the Thirteenth Squad has two Third Seats, so you know that the Seats can be Co-ed. That is what will happen here. Shuuhei, Grimmjow will be Co-Fukutaicho with you. Ryuuken and Isshin will be Third Seats, Orihime and Uryu will be Fourth Seats, Tatsuki and Chad will be Fifth Seats, Karin and Yuzu will be Sixth Seats, Nel will be the other Seventh Seat, and Pesche and Dondachokka will be Eighth Seats.

I will decide upon who else will be Seated Officers tomorrow. I'm sorry if any of you feel slighted for me not choosing you, but Isshin, my Dad, used to be a Captain, and he trained the rest of us with many other Captain level people for many years now. I hope that you all understand," Ichigo said.

"We understand, Sir. If they are anywhere near your level, then we can understand why you wouldn't choose us to be ranked above them," Sota said, trying to stay on Ichigo's good side.

Ichigo nodded. "Good, thank you. Now, onto training. I want all of you tested, so my Clan will test you. Please get into even lines in front of these twelve. Yes, even Nel. I assure you, she is very strong. Stronger, perhaps, than Kusajishi-Fukutaicho. Alright, good. And... Begin!" Ichigo ordered.

Immediately, there were twelve fights going on simultaneously, with Ichigo watching over them. Let it be known that Nel humiliated many people that day. Humiliated because they were beaten by a little girl and that stung their pride.

When they were done, Ichigo paced in front of the tired Squad Members, face blank.

Everyone there saw how, even after many fights, the twelve testers didn't even break a sweat, and they felt ashamed. Surely their new Captain was ashamed of them, too.

"We have a long way to go before we can be the Squad that is looked up to by all of the others," he said.

They looked down.

"We have a long way to go before we are the best. However," here he paused, making them look back up.

He made a fist and placed it over his heart. "I swear to lead us, the Ninth Squad, to be the best and be looked up to by everyone else! No one will be left behind as we make this trek! We will all progress together! The thirteen of us will guide you as you train, and even on personal matters. There is no time for Pride, no time for Selfishness, and no time for Personal Gain, only time for training as if our lives depend upon it, as it might, and for helping others train as if lives depend upon it, because it will!

I also want to focus on making friends with the other Squads, as our lives could depend upon them one day. Never think that we are too strong to need saving, and never think that those weaker than us can't save us, because we might and they can. We are not all powerful, we are not unable to be harmed, or killed, and we are not unfeeling beings.

If we ignore the other Squads, then they either won't help us out, or will only do so out of Duty. We want them to want to help us. But, on the other hand, they want us to help them, even if they are too proud to say it. We help, they help, simple as that. I am proud of you all for your strength, but it might not be enough for any of us one day, so accept help and give help freely. Am I understood?" he asked.

There was silence for five seconds before, as one, the entire Squad stood up straight and saluted him back, fists over their hearts. "Yes, Taicho! We swear to do our best!" they shouted back.

Ichigo grinned. "And that's all I ask for! In return, I will give my best! Alright, we have three more hours of training before we head home for the day! Let's get to it!" he said in a clear voice.

Cheers of determination greeted him and they all paired off into groups to train, each group being guided by one of the thirteen.

The entire Squad was promising, now Ichigo just had to bring out their full potential.

III

 **Not sure how people will take this Chapter, but I suppose that it doesn't matter. Most of you have been pretty supportive of this story, and for that I thank you.**

 **Hopefully those of you who hated Aizen's end will find yourself happier with this new bit of information.**

 **Anyway, I'm gone for now. See you later!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait. I have no real excuses, I was just being lazy. That, and I was hoping to read more of your awesome reviews before I posted another Chapter. Well, enough from me, read this one!**

 **Disclaimer: Do I really own Bleach? Nope, not at all. I'm just some random Country girl who owns a farm who wants to be an Author someday, so I write these Fanfictions for practice.**

Chapter 6

Ichigo's family walked through the front door. "I'm home!" they called.

"Welcome home!" Rukia called from the kitchen.

The smell of something burning met their noses. Alarmed, Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu rushed to the kitchen, to see Rukia looking frustrated as she scraped a burnt... something out of a frying pan, putting it in the trash.

"What was that?" Karin asked, nose wrinkling.

"Ask instead what that was supposed to be, as even I don't know what that was!" Rukia said, sighing sadly.

Ichigo's lips twitched as he made a valiant effort to not laugh.

"Okay, what was that supposed to be?" Karin asked.

"It was supposed to be Fried Rice, but that didn't go too well. Sorry about wasting ingredients," Rukia said, sighing again.

"It's okay," Ichigo reassured her, looking into the trashcan.

It looked like a severely burned omelet, with rice, carrots, and other vegetables sticking out of it, while swimming in oil. He calmly took the pan from her and put it in the sink, trying to forget what he'd just seen, lest he spoil his appetite.

"I'll teach you," he said with a smile.

She beamed at him and hugged him. "Thank you!" she said.

When they broke apart, Ichigo noticed Jushiro watching them with amusement dancing in his eyes, and Byakuya trying not to scowl.

Rukia didn't bother to hide her scowl. "Why is Kuchiki-Sama here?" she asked.

Grim sighed. "Sorry, Rukia, but he asked me to help him be a better big brother. I saw that he was sincere, so I accepted and told him to be here tonight to see how a real family acted," he said.

"Just pretend that I'm not here if that helps," Byakuya said, depression rolling off of him in waves, though his expression remained the same as usual.

Rukia saw this and felt a bit guilty. "No, that won't help. I need to give you the chance to be a good Big Brother, not push you away. However, I'm angry with you, and it will be a while before I come to see you as my big brother again. More, if you are reserved in your efforts. But I will at least let you try, Byakuya-Sama," she said.

His first reaction was to use his emotional training to kill the smile and restrain himself from hugging her, but her words about being reserved sprang to his mind and he didn't suppress his emotions. He gave her a grateful smile and half-raised his arms to ask permission to hug her.

Though greatly surprised, she allowed the hug. "This is a little creepy," she said when she backed off.

He frowned. "What is?" he asked.

"You showing emotions. I know that it's what I want, but it's a little weird to see you doing so," she admitted, smiling.

He smiled a little. "I guess that it is pretty odd. It's weird for me, as well," he said.

She smiled back. "I guess so, Byakuya-Sama. Ukitake-Taicho, what are you doing here? Am I doing overtime?" she asked.

Jushiro smiled. "No, Rukia-Chan. Ichigo invited me to dine here tonight, so I accepted," he said.

Rukia grinned. "Thank you, Ichigo!" she said.

"You're welcome. Uh, I also invited one other person to be here tonight. Orihime, I think that you'll like who I invited," Ichigo said.

"Who is it, Aniki-Chan?" Orihime asked.

There was a knock on the door at that moment.

"Go answer it, Orihime," Ichigo said, having sensed who it was.

Curious, Orihime did so. The next thing that was heard was a delighted scream and then a sob. Orihime didn't leave Sora's side for the rest of the evening. When it was found out that Sora lived in an Apartment, Ichigo immediately set him up in a room in their house, making him and Orihime happy.

As Jushiro was leaving, he thanked Ichigo for the tea. "How did you get it there so fast?" Jushiro asked.

"I'm pretty fast, so I got there before you, stocked it quickly, and left," Ichigo said.

"You're faster than me then! I didn't even see you go by! Well, good night," Jushiro said cheerfully.

"Good night!" Ichigo said and he went back inside.

He walked into the living room, where his family was. Sora was looking at him inquisitively, Orihime napping on his shoulder.

"So, you said something about you dying in two weeks?" Sora asked.

Ichigo nodded as he sat down. "Yes. I suppose that, technically, I am dead, being a Shinigami and all, but I still have my human body, which you see now. Kisuke said that entering Soul Society in our human bodies for more than three weeks would kill them, causing them to change into our soul bodies. We've been here for a week now, so in two more weeks our human bodies will die. It's as simple as that. She will die soon, everyone here will," Ichigo explained.

Sora looked concerned. "Why does she accept this so readily? She'll never be able to live again!" he said.

"Sora-Nii, let me explain," Orihime's sleepy voice said. She was looking up at him imploringly.

Sora nodded. "Go ahead then," he said.

"It's like this, all of my friends and those who have become my family are here. I have no reason to stay alive," Orihime said, frowning.

Sora smiled and hugged her. "It's okay, Orihime, I understand. I would be lonely, too," he said.

She smiled and hugged him back.

"Alright, I'm going to bed. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Goodnight," Ichigo said before heading up to his room.

"Goodnight!" they called after him.

III

Ichigo knocked on Yamamoto's door around nine in the morning the next day, after he had finished his Paperwork, which, he was happy to say, included the approval forms for his Businesses. He'd set clones out to begin the building once he'd read them.

"Come in!" Yamamoto called.

Ichigo walked in, absentmindedly using his wood manipulation to shut the door behind him, something that Yamamoto noticed.

"How much Reiatsu do you have, to be able to use it all day and never tire?" Yamamoto asked.

"I have a fair amount, but the more you are used to an attack, the less energy you have to use," Ichigo answered, sitting down.

"So, not only do you have a lot of energy, but you are so used to your Abilities that they take much less out of you than normal Shinigami, so you can fight or work for longer," Yamamoto observed.

Ichigo nodded. "Yes, that is correct," he said.

"Tell me something, for I am most curious. Do your powers over plants extend to Paperwork?" Yamamoto asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. I can do my Paperwork in very little time," he said.

"How little are we talking here?" Yamamoto asked, leaning forward.

"Well, there was a huge stack of Paperwork in my Office, several stacks, actually, and I did it all in two seconds," Ichigo said.

Yamamoto's eyes widened. That was impressive! Seeing as Tosen had been blind, and Hisagi-Fukutaicho had to read all of it to Tosen, and then sign it, it was slow going, and they were always severely behind on their Paperwork. For Shiba-Taicho to do it all in two seconds... that was incredible!

"All of it? Two seconds? How?" he asked.

"Well, I could read the ink at high speeds and then sign them all using ink. Using my powers over ink, it's not hard," Ichigo said.

"Could you leave your clones in each Captain's Office to read them a Summary, making it go faster?" Yamamoto asked.

"I can do better. Here, watch," Ichigo said.

He quickly scanned all of Yamamoto's Paperwork, and then, using the Bio-Electric nerves in Yamamoto's brain, scanned it into his brain at high speeds. He saw Yamamoto reflexively go over the Paperwork and saw which ones to sign. Using an example of Yamamoto's signature, Ichigo then signed all of the Paperwork.

Yamamoto came out of it and looked at the freshly signed Paperwork, astonishment clear in his eyes. "How did you do that? It was all there in my head, and then this!" he said.

"Well, electricity is a natural force, so I can manipulate the _Bio_ -Electricity that's in your body and brain, making you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell what I want you to. By using the Bio-Electricity in your brain, I made you see your Paperwork at high speeds, and I used your signature to sign the ones that you chose to sign. It took seven seconds, but that's less time than you normally use, correct, Sir?" Ichigo asked.

"That is correct, Shiba-Taicho. However, I am not sure how I feel about that Ability of yours," Yamamoto said, frowning.

"I have never used it for evil, I promise. Remember the Oath that I made yesterday?" Ichigo asked.

Yamamoto relaxed. "You are correct. Very well then, may I ask for you to do this for all of the Captains? To leave us Captains free to train our Squads and ourselves?" he asked.

"Yes, if it meets with the approval of the other Captains. By the way, how much do you like Kurotsuchi-Taicho?" Ichigo asked.

"Not much, why?" Yamamoto asked, frowning.

"Would you prefer Kisuke Urahara then?" Ichigo asked with a small smile.

"I would, yes. I see where you are going with this. Yes, if, hypothetically, Urahara defeats Kurotsuchi-Taicho, then he may hypothetically have his Captain's position back," Yamamoto said with a slight smile.

"And if Kurotsuchi dies in this endeavor?" Ichigo asked calmly.

"A noble sacrifice to the Cause," Yamamoto said regally.

Ichigo nodded. "I'll let him know. Now then, the letters to the Banished?" he asked, holding out a hand.

"You know where they are," Yamamoto said blandly.

Ichigo smiled. "Of course I do, but I didn't want to seem impertinent," he said, drawing back his hand, letters in it.

He tucked them into a pocket and stood up. "By your leave, Yamamoto-Sotaicho?" he asked.

Yamamoto waved a hand. "You know the way out. Dismissed," he said.

Ichigo grinned and Flickered away.

III

"You did it! You actually got us accepted back! You are a Miracle worker, Ichi-Chan!" Shinji said, grinning, as he held his letter up high.

Ichigo shrugged. "It wasn't hard. Yamamoto-Sama was very willing to accept you back once I told him the truth and Aizen was ousted as the Traitor," he said.

"Huh. Wonder why?" Shinji asked.

"I dunno," Ichigo said.

"Maybe he's scared of you!" Hiyori said.

"Doubt it. Why would he be scared of me?" Ichigo asked.

"Hello? Forces of Nature and able to control it in your Sealed State? We would have reason to fear if you were evil. Plenty of reason," Kensei said.

"Is it really that bad?" Ichigo asked with a frown.

"It can be scary sometimes, but it's very useful as well," Lisa said.

Ichigo nodded and turned to make a Senkeimon. "Oh, by the way, Uncle, the Sotaicho said that if you can kill Kurotsuchi then you can have his spot," he said as eleven Hell Butterflies flew out and flew around Kisuke's, Yoruichi's, Tessai's and the Vizard's heads.

Kisuke grinned. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" he said, stepping into the Senkeimon, everyone else following, or, in Ichigo's case, leading the way.

III

"Sotaicho-Sama, the Ex-Exiled," Ichigo announced as he entered Yamamoto's Office with the other eleven.

Yamamoto nodded. "Very good, Shiba-Taicho-Sama. Shinji Hirako, I offer you back your spot as the Captain of Squad Five. Will you accept?" he asked.

Shinji grinned. "Yeah! You got it, Old Man!" he said.

"Shiba-Taicho, if you please. Aizen took his with him, I'm afraid," Yamamoto said.

"The body was a fake then?" Ichigo asked as a Captain's Hayori appeared on Shinji's shoulders.

"As you suspected. It appeared to be a Gigai, though I am unsure how he got it to act just like him, as Gikon do not act just like the one they are to imitate," Yamamoto said.

"Troubling, but nothing that we can't handle. I just wonder how it can use his powers," Ichigo said.

"What do you mean?" Yamamoto asked.

"I ran into another one of the fake bodies today, while getting Kisuke and the others. It seemed to be trying to get something from Kisuke, but was unable to get it. It had everyone under an illusion, but I'm immune to them, so I saw. I killed it, obviously, but it seemed stronger than the one before it," Ichigo reported.

"Troubling indeed. Did you have any trouble killing it?" Yamamoto asked.

"No, not really. He can't match up to my speed, apparently," Ichigo said.

Those behind him snorted. " _No one_ can match up to your speed, Ichigo," Yoruichi said.

For the Goddess of Flash to say that was really something. 'How fast is he?' Yamamoto wondered.

He half-expected Ichigo to answer, but it seemed that Ichigo didn't pay attention to somebody's thoughts all the time. Reassuring.

"Alright, here is your compensation pay for the one hundred years that you've been gone, as well as your pay checks for the Ranks that you were when you left. Kisuke Urahara, if you can kill Kurotsuchi-Taicho, then I may, hypothetically, give you his next paycheck as well. Please do it today," Yamamoto said.

Thanks to Ichigo, the Paperwork for all of this was done in seconds.

Kisuke grinned. "You got it!" he said.

"Yoruichi Shihoin, you are back to being Captain of the Second Division. Soifon will be your Fukutaicho. Place Omaeda wherever you wish. The rest of you I will leave in Shiba-Taicho's hands," Yamamoto said.

"Actually, could I reapply to the Fourth Division?" Hachi asked.

Yamamoto nodded.

"Ichigo, I'll go with Kisuke," Hiyori said.

"Me, too," Tessai said.

Ichigo nodded.

"I'd like to reapply to the Eighth Division," Lisa said.

"Okay," Ichigo said.

"That leaves Kensei, Rose, Love and myself! I'll go with you, Ichi-Chan!" Mashiro said.

Kensei nodded along with Love. Rose thought about it for a second before he nodded too.

"Okay, Kensei and Mashiro, you're ninth Seats, and Love and Rose are tenth Seats. Now I just need six more people to make into Seated Officers," Ichigo said.

"Co-ed Seats?" Yamamoto asked.

"Yeah. I figured that it would help out my Division, letting both my family and others in my Division be Seated Officers, that way there are no slighted feelings," Ichigo said.

Yamamoto nodded, accepting that. "Okay. You are dismissed. Hirako-Taicho, Shihoin-Taicho, Urahara-Taicho, Shiba-Taicho, please remember that there is a Captain's Meeting tomorrow," he said.

The group of twelve saluted and left. Kisuke grinned again. "Ichigo, can I kill Mayuri now?" he asked.

"Sure, go to town," Ichigo said, shrugging. He wasn't in charge of Kisuke, and yet he kept asking him for permission. Odd.

Kisuke was off like a rocket, the others following him. They arrived at the Twelfth Squad Barracks in moments.

"Oi! Mayuri-Chan! I'm here to take back my position as Captain!" Kisuke yelled cheerfully.

Everyone in the Courtyard froze out of fear. _No one_ talked to Kurotsuchi in that manner and lived. There was silence for several seconds as they waited. Then, face murderously puzzled, Mayuri Kurotsuchi stepped out into the Courtyard.

When he saw Kisuke, his face turned furious on top of being murderously puzzled. "You! What are you doing here?! You got exiled! You are no longer allowed to be here without being executed! I guess that I need to execute you myself!" he said angrily.

"Oh? You mean that you were not informed? We were welcomed back! And now I am challenging you for the Captain's position!" Kisuke said, smiling with his eyes closed.

Mayuri scowled. "Any rules?" he asked, knowing that the challenger set the rules.

"Shikai only, and we fight until one of us dies!" Kisuke said smiling, but steel in his voice and eyes.

"Agreed!" Mayuri said enthusiastically.

"Kisuke, be careful," Yoruichi said in a low voice, looking slightly worried.

"I will, I promise. I will come home to you at the end of the day," Kisuke said solemnly.

She nodded and he stepped forward to meet Mayuri in a cleared arena. They then faced eachother, ready to start the battle at Ichigo's word.

Ichigo formed a rock and held it up. "The battle starts when this rock hits the ground. The battle ends only when the other is dead. Am I understood?" he asked.

"Understood, Ichigo," Kisuke said, deadly serious.

"Yes," Mayuri said, impatient to get started.

All eyes focused on the rock as it was tossed up. Ichigo Flickered out of the way as it hit the ground, while Kisuke exploded into action.

"Awaken, Benehime!" he said.

"Oh? Shikai already? Do you consider me that much of a threat? Your Shikai is of no threat to me. I have done much study on your Shikai and I can defend against it without activating mine!" Mayuri boasted.

Kisuke chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Mayuri demanded.

"The fact that by boasting you gave me enough time to prepare my attack. Goodbye, Mayuri-Chan!" Kisuke said, smiling coldly.

Mayuri opened his mouth to question, but then screamed as he fell apart into molecules that could never be put together again.

Kisuke sheathed his blade and smiled. "Anyone else want to challenge me for my position as Captain?" he asked.

There was a lot of frantically shaken heads.

Nemu stepped up. "No. no one here will challenge you. But I... I would like to personally thank you. He may have called himself my father, but to me he was just my creator. A father does not beat his child, and a father wants what's best for his child. He does not take away parts of their soul and expect you to work well without it. So, from me, I thank you for killing him. I am but your servant, Urahara-Taicho," she said, bowing.

Kisuke shared a long look with Yoruichi, talking without words. Then, Kisuke placed a hand on Nemu's head. His eyes flashed briefly when she flinched, but calmed down quickly.

"Nemu-Chan, I remember you from when you were a child. You were happier then, but I suppose that a century with that man made you grow up quickly and be reserved with your emotions. But I wonder, can you make this decision with reserved emotions? Feel free to answer and react however you wish. May I show you what a real father is like? How a real father acts?" he asked softly, in a compassionately gentle voice.

Her head whipped up, eyes wide. "You want to adopt me?" she asked, shocked.

"If you're willing to let my wife and I do so," Kisuke answered.

"Your wife? ...Of course, Yoruichi-Sama. I think that I will answer yes. I would like to be in a real family," she said, tears shining, barely there, in her eyes.

Kisuke gently drew her into a hug, Yoruichi joining in.

"Don't worry, we're here for you, Nemu," Hiyori said, standing next to them.

At Nemu's inquiring look, Hiyori smirked. "I'm your sister, but I'll never call Kisuke Tou-San, not really," she said.

Nemu nodded in understanding. "Hello, Nee-San," she said.

"Cool, I've got another cousin! So, Uncle, I'll leave a clone here with you to help you with the Paperwork, but I've got to get going. Got to train my Squad, you know!" Ichigo said.

Then he, Mashiro, Kensei, Rose and Love left, leaving Hachi to go the the Fourth, and Lisa to go to the Eighth, with Shinji heading to the Fifth, Tessai, Hiyori and Yoruichi staying behind.

III

"Alright, let the Captain's Meeting commence!" Yamamoto ordered, slamming the butt of his cane onto the floor to make a banging noise. He saw many curious eyes turning onto, not only Shiba-Taicho, but Shihoin-Taicho, Urahara-Taicho and Hirako-Taicho as well.

"Oi, Yama-Jii, why are they back?" Shunsui asked.

Shinji grinned. "Are you saying that you don't want us back? Is that what you're saying? Oh boy, and just think of what Lisa will say if she hears that!" he said, snickering.

Shunsui's eyes widened. "No! That's not what I was saying! I'm very glad that Lisa-Chan is back, along with the rest of you! I was merely wondering what changed his mind!" he said frantically.

Many people bit their lips to hold in their laughter.

"The truth was recently brought to life concerning the eleven Exiles, so I rescinded the Exile and gave them back their positions. Or let them take it back, in Urahara-Taicho's case," Yamamoto said.

Nobody looked phased at the fact that Mayuri was now dead.

"Oh. Congrats, Kisuke, Shinji, Yoruichi!" Shunsui said.

Jushiro smiled but stayed silent. He seemed to be impatient for this meeting to end. He didn't look too good.

"Thanks!" Yoruichi said.

"Okay, the next item of business to address is getting our Paperwork done faster," Yamamoto said.

"How? We slave away at it all day long, doing it as fast as we can, barely having enough time to fight with it there! How can we get it done any faster?" Kenpachi groused.

"Like this," Yamamoto said, taking out a stack of incomplete Paperwork, and showing them such. Then, with a nod to Ichigo, he showed them a completed stack of Paperwork.

Their eyes widened.

"How did you do that?!" Shunsui demanded.

Yamamoto explained and most seemed excited.

"Think of all the free time that we would have!" Shunsui said excitedly.

"I could fight more!" Kenpachi said, grinning.

"I could drink more tea, and have more time to feed the fish at the Ugenda!" Jushiro said.

"I could train more," Byakuya said.

"Exactly! Those who accept Shiba-Taicho's help will be expected to attend, at least three times a week, a Captain's Only Training Session. There we will train and spar with eachother," Yamamoto said.

"What about my Patients? And training our Squads?" Unohana asked.

"Shiba-Taicho has graciously agreed to teach us how to make Reishi Clones, which can oversee the training of our Squads, and also let you heal your wounded," he said.

"Reishi Clones? Yer sure full o' surprises, Ichi-Kun!" Gin said with a smile.

"What else can you do, Shiba-Taicho?" Toshiro asked, curious.

"I can create these, so that we can pass out orders faster," Ichigo said, holding up a Cell Phone.

"It looks like a Soul Pager, which have no use here in Soul Society," Komamura said.

"Hm? Ichigo, that's not a natural item," Kisuke observed.

"No, not naturally, but by taking those natural materials and putting them through unnatural processes, which still require natural forces, I can make man-made things, like electronics! I just found out how to do this. The difference though, is that these run off of your Reiatsu. Depending upon your Reiatsu levels, one percent of your reserves will let it run for one thousand hours, and it also leeches Reishi from the area around you, along with the excess energy from your attacks to charge it, so you can charge it while training, or in a fight, so it will be there when you need it.

And it's not a Soul Pager, it's a Modified Cell Phone. Instead of Power Lines, or Cell Towers, they can sense eachother and connect instantly, and their connection cannot be blocked that I know of. We can have us Captains on Speed Dial, letting us contact eachother anywhere we need to. Then we have our Seated Officers on Speed Dial as well, and they can give our orders to the rest of our Squads, getting our orders out there faster. Not only that, but it takes the place of a Soul Pager, letting you know where a Hollow is when it appears," Ichigo said. With four outstanding exceptions.

There was much nodding around the room. It was practical and made sense!

"Aww, Ichigo! With you around my Division won't be needed!" Kisuke whined.

"Don't worry, Uncle, I could never take your place!" Ichigo said.

Kisuke grinned.

"Now, if only you could install a radio and our favorite music!" Yoruichi said with a small grin.

"I'll get right on that," Ichigo promised.

"Alright, that does help. Now, the other item of business will no doubt make most of you wary, but I have received Oaths, the highest Oaths, that they will not harm us unless harmed first. Remember also that they are Retainers of the Shiba Clan," Yamamoto said.

"What is it, Yamamoto-Sotaicho?" Byakuya asked.

"Four of Squad Nine are Arrancars, which are the highest form of Hollow there is, who have taken on Shinigami powers," Yamamoto revealed.

"What?! How could you let Hollows into our Ranks?!" Toshiro asked, shocked.

"What? But I have seen the entire family, and they are very affectionate people! Hollows they cannot be!" Jushiro said.

"If they are Hollows, then they are not a danger to us. I can swear to that end," Byakuya said, frowning.

Everyone turned to him, surprised.

"You would?" Toshiro asked.

"Yes, I would. I, Byakuya Kuchiki, Lord of the Kuchiki Noble Family, do swear this, on my Title as Clan Head, Captain of Squad Six, and on my name, that the four Arrancar who are in Shiba-Taicho's family and Squad are of no threat or danger to us, unless one of their own is attacked first!" Byakuya said, intent on protecting his sister's family.

Many blinked, but others smiled.

"Good job, Byakuya-Bo! I'm proud of you!" Yoruichi said.

"It is not a matter of making you proud, Hellcat. I am merely doing what I believe is right. Shiba-Taicho, which of them are the Arrancars? Byakuya asked.

"Grimmjow, Nel, Pesche and Dondachokka," Ichigo answered.

Now everyone was shocked.

"Little Nel? No, she is no danger," Jushiro said, shaking his head.

"And Grim is so compassionate, I can't imagine him as a danger," Unohana said.

"Pesche and Dondachokka as well," Byakuya said.

Everyone nodded, having come into contact with them at least once over the past two days.

"Okay, so they're of no danger to us, and you want us to tell our Squads?" Toshiro asked.

"Yes. Also, tell them that, since they are the Retainers to a Noble Family, attacking them unless in a spar will carry the Death Penalty," Yamamoto said.

"Why bother saying anything at all? They don't even look like Hollows!" Kenpachi said.

"Because, in roughly two weeks, our human bodies, or Gigai's, will fade and our Spirit bodies will appear," Ichigo said.

"Oh? Yer still alive, Ichi-Kun?" Gin asked.

"Technically. Though technically I'm also dead since I'm a Shinigami," Ichigo said, shrugging.

"Alright, I think that this just about wraps this Meeting up. Who will accept Shiba-Taicho's help with their Paperwork?" Yamamoto asked.

All but one hand rose up, and then it rose up too, as if seeing all of the other hands made it raise too.

"Good. Our training sessions will be at the Captain's Training Grounds. Dismissed!" Yamamoto ordered.

"Okay, so to make Reishi Clones you have to construct a body of Reishi outside of your own, covered with a Kido Henge to make it loo like you. It will be just like you in every way, except it will be temporary. Here, I'll give all of you a Clone, to help you with your Paperwork, and to teach you how to make a Clone. Okay, I'm leaving," Ichigo said, making twelve Clones and leaving.

He met up with his Seated Officers and showed them the phone.

"It's too bad that they're not like what the Men in Black have, only you say the name of the person that you want to talk to, or their Title, to talk to them," Uryu said.

"That's a much better idea! It has less of a chance of getting destroyed or getting knocked out of hands by an enemy! I'll even install a Radio and Music. And anyone talking to them will cut into the radio or song," Ichigo said.

"That's a good idea, Aniki-Chan!" Orihime said, smiling. There had been a time when she had a crush on him, but when it was made clear that Ichigo would never like her in that way, she let go of her crush and began to see him as a brother, and she was happy this way.

"I'll get on it right away!" Ichigo said, creating a clone to do so.

"Cool. But for now, Training?" Uryu asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Training," he agreed.

III

'If Kisuke Urahara doesn't have it, then he must have given it to Ichigo. Now, how to get it from him? His speed is far superior to mine. Ah, that might help, but it will take some time to prepare. Better to get on it right away then. And, a slight modification to my Gigkon would help.'

III

 **Okay, that's this Chapter done!**

 **I still need people to suggest Arcs that I should do. Someone suggested the Hell Arc, and I approve, but does anyone else want to see a Filler Arc? Well, they're Filler, so maybe not, but they're still important to the story.**

 **Also, does anyone want me to write scenes missing from this story? You know, scenes that I skipped? If so, just ask and I'll post them in a separate file. If not, that's fine too.**

 **Alright then, that's me done. See you soon!**

 **Aisu.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey, everyone! Excited for the next Chapter? I've gotta thank everyone for their support and their reviews. I love the reviews, and the support! Alright, time for the story to get started!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but my ideas!**

Chapter 7

The Thirteen Captains formed a circle as they stood in the Captain's Training Grounds. However, Jushiro did not look too good.

"Jushiro, you don't look too well. Are you feeling alright?" Ichigo asked, concerned.

"Oh, it's just my illness acting up again. It's nothing to worry about," Jushiro said with a smile.

"Symptoms?" Ichigo asked Unohana.

She listed them for him. He was especially concerned about the coughing up blood part.

"Sounds like Tuberculosis to me. The Humans have a cure for it. If I mixed the right herbs and planted them directly into your system, and then sped up the time it normally takes for them to work, it would take me a little over an hour to cure you. Sorry it can't be sooner," he said.

Everyone stared at him in shock, except the Exiled Trio.

"Juu-Chan has had this illness his entire life, no one has been able to find a cure, and you're saying that, not only is there a cure, but you can cure him in a little over an hour? And you're, of all things, _sorry_ that it can't be done _faster_?!" Shunsui asked, disbelief coloring his tone, as well as hope.

"Um, yes?" Ichigo asked.

"Please do so, Ichigo," Jushiro said.

Ichigo nodded, made a clone, and had it go off with Jushiro to cure him. Everyone seemed to be in lighter spirits.

"Is there anything that you can't do?" Shunsui asked with a grin, patting Ichigo on the shoulder.

"Plenty of things," Ichigo answered.

"Like what?" Komamura asked.

"Um, I can't create life with my Zanpakuto's, and I can't create most things in the solar system, though I can create mini supernovas, to blind people, and I can create small voids, which I create most of my products in," Ichigo said.

"But aren't those natural things?" Yamamoto asked.

"Can you boil the blood in someone's body? Can you heat up a cup of tea without turning it into ashes? No? Well, mine can't do some things, too," Ichigo said.

Yamamoto nodded. "Fair enough," he said.

He looked at the rest of those in the circle. "Okay, split off into pairs! You will be sparring partners today! Shihoin and Kuchiki, Urahara and Kyoraku, Hirako and Hitsugaya, Unohana and Komamura, Kenpachi and Ichimaru, and Shiba-Sama and Myself! Shiba-Taicho, any restrictions that you feel that they should have?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Yoruichi and Byakuya, Hoho and Kido only. Kisuke and Shunsui, Zanjutsu and Hakuda only. Shinji and Hitsugaya-Taicho, Zanjutsu and Hoho only. Unohana-Taicho and Komamura-Taicho, Kido and Hakuda only. Kenpachi and Gin, Hakuda and Hoho only. Yamamoto-Sama and myself, Zanjutsu and Hakuda only. Those using Zanjutsu, Shikai only, okay? And, yes, that does mean that I will limit myself to Shikai powers only," he said.

"You left us pretty even for the most part, I see, Ichigo," Unohana said.

"Yes, so that it's fair. Each must use their home turf to win, and only their home turf, unless it is to try their hand at their weaker art," Ichigo said.

"You got it, Ichigo! I'll pound Gin into the dust!" Kenpachi said with a grin.

"Alright then, start!" Yamamoto ordered, starting all six fights.

Ichigo turned to Yamamoto with a smile. "Well, Yamamoto-Sama, shall we begin?" he asked.

"I already said to do so. Why ask? Aah!" Yamamoto yelled as he narrowly dodged being sealed inside a crystal dome.

"I see, that's why. Well, you'll not distract me again, Shiba-Sama!" he said.

"No?" Ichigo asked, head tilted as he made bone spikes erupt from where Yamamoto was standing.

Yamamoto barely dodged. "I said spar, not Duel to the Death!" Yamamoto yelled as he stood up.

"Sorry," Ichigo said, forming ice mirrors around Yamamoto.

"What will this do?" Yamamoto asked warily.

Ichigo smiled and suddenly weapons made out of ice shoot out of the mirrors, all aimed at Yamamoto.

"Teach me!" Toshiro yelled as he dodged Shinji's strike.

"Later!" Ichigo yelled back.

"Once again, Spar, not Duel to the Death!" Yamamoto yelled as he ran out of the assault.

"Eh, I can heal you. Don't worry, my Zanpakuto and I have been experimenting on how to fix flesh, organs and stuff like that. It's going well," Ichigo said.

Yamamoto did not like that answer.

"What else can you do?" Toshiro asked.

In answer, Ichigo formed a huge Ice Dragon and sent it to attack Yamamoto.

Silence.

Then, "Wow!" Toshiro said in awe, watching the animated dragon as it fought with Yamamoto, who was trying to melt it, and finding himself unable to. "You'll teach me, right?" he asked.

"Your Zanpakuto, you and I will talk later, okay?" Ichigo asked.

"Sure," Toshiro said, nodding.

Ichigo glanced at him and found everyone staring at Yamamoto as he fought the dragon. He coughed and they all looked at him. "Spar?" he asked.

"Right!" they said and they continued their spars.

Fifteen minutes later, the Ice Dragon came back, Yamamoto being carefully carried in its jaws, unable to move as he was too exhausted.

Ichigo grinned up at him. "Yield, Yamamoto-Sama?" he asked, inwardly surprised at his rather easy win, but not showing it.

"I yield, Shiba-Sama. When I get my breath back we will spar using Hakuda, as this one used none," Yamamoto said.

"Of course, Yamamoto-Sama," Ichigo said graciously, ordering the dragon to gently lower Yamamoto to the ground and then turn into vapor, disappearing into the air.

He noticed that it was too silent in the area and he looked around to see everyone staring at them in shock, even Shinji, Kisuke and Yoruichi. "What?" he asked.

"I knew that you were strong, Ichigo, but to defeat the Sotaicho without really trying? Wow!" Kisuke said.

"Well, it was with my Zanpakutos, so it might be cheating just a bit," Ichigo said.

"Don't sell yourself short, Shiba-Taicho! Everyone thought that my Zanpakuto was cheating, including myself, but it couldn't even hurt your attacks, and you didn't even draw your blade. Perhaps we should also spar with just Zanjutsu, no Releases, once I am ready to fight again," Yamamoto said.

"Of course, Yamamoto-Sama," Ichigo said.

"Is everyone finished with their spars?" Yamamoto asked.

"I am!" Kisuke, Yoruichi, Shinji and Unohana said.

"No," Kenpachi said sulkily.

"Why not?" Yamamoto asked.

"Well, if he would just hold still, I could hit him!" Kenpachi answered, giving Gin a scowl, to which he grinned at.

"Hey, hey! I don' wanna get hit! When ya don' want ta get hit, ya dodge! Simple as that!" Gin said.

"Continue your spar," Yamamoto ordered with a sigh.

"Right!" Kenpachi said as he charged Gin, who used Shunpo to get out of the way.

Ichigo sighed. "This is going to take a while. Tea?" Ichigo asked, holding up a cup.

"Yes, please, Ichigo!" Jushiro's voice called out from the edge of the Grounds. "Thank you!" came a moment later.

"Yes, please," Kisuke, Yoruichi and Shinji said. Tea appeared in their hands. "Thank you," they said.

"Ah, so you're the reason why Juu-Chan has been cooped up in his Office, drinking cup after cup of tea, huh?" Shunsui asked.

"Cooped up?" Ichigo questioned.

"Yeah. He's as addicted to tea as I am to alcohol," Shunsui said.

Ichigo winced, he hadn't known about that. "Sorry about that. I didn't know. Should I take it away?" he asked.

"No!" Several voices said at the same time.

"Bad things will happen! Very bad things!" Shunsui said fearfully.

"Just please say that the tea was at least Caffeine free," Toshiro begged.

"Of course it was," Ichigo said.

There was much sighing in relief. "Good, that helps," Yamamoto said.

"What does Caffeine do to him?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Look into my head," Yamamoto said, sighing.

Ichigo did so and then recoiled. "I am _amazed_ at what that gentle, innocent-looking man can get up to when he's on a Caffeine-High! I am never giving him Caffeine!" he said passionately.

The others nodded in agreement.

"So, I'll have some tea. Jasmine, please?" Toshiro asked. A cup of Jasmine tea appeared in his hands.

The Captains sat and talked about random things for the next hour as they waited for the last spar to be finished. Jushiro had been healed and had joined them, and Yamamoto had fully recovered, by the time Gin appeared, dragging Kenpachi behind him with a grin.

"All done, aren't we, Kenpachi?" he asked cheerfully.

There came a gurgled response.

"Took long enough. Why were you just running away and making him trip or run into trees, instead of fighting with Hakuda the entire time?" Shinji asked.

"Ne, Shinji, that's mean! I was not 'Running Away'! I was strategically weakenin' him so that I could win!" Gin said, mock pouting.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. As long as you won. Now what?" Shinji asked.

"Now, Shiba-Sama and I will continue our spar. Ready, Shiba-Taicho?" Yamamoto asked, standing up.

Ichigo nodded, making his cup of tea disappear. They stood across from eachother, standing away from the others.

"Ready? Begin!" Yamamoto said.

III

"Why didn't you wait for me to wake up?! I wanted to see that fight!" Kenpachi complained as he watched the severely bruised and cut up Yamamoto be healed by Unohana.

"It didn't seem that important," Byakuya said, a small grin being restrained. That had been a truly spectacular fight.

"Sorry," Ichigo said to Yamamoto again.

Yamamoto waved a hand. "It's alright. I was overconfident, but you were stronger. However, even I saw that, if I was able to outlast you, or keep up with your speed, I would have won. But I know that I wouldn't have been able to do so. You have more energy, more speed, and you're much younger.

However, I am much amazed. Only fifteen years old, not even a significant fraction of my one thousand years, and yet you have been able to defeat me soundly. I know that I am no match against your speed, but I wonder about your Kido skills. How are they?" he asked.

"Tessai, Hachi, and Shinji taught me," Ichigo answered.

"Hirako-Taicho?" Yamamoto asked.

"He doesn't need the chant for any of them, not even the higher numbered ones. Doesn't need the names for most, either," Shinji reported.

Yamamoto was silent for a minute. Then, "Shiba-Taicho, I would like to begin your training to replace me, if you don't mind and there are no objections from the others?" he asked.

"None," Kisuke, Yoruichi, Shinji, Toshiro, Shunsui, Jushiro, Byakuya and Unohana said.

"It would be interestin' fer sure," Gin said.

"I'd like to fight him first!" Kenpachi said.

"He's young, but strong. I guess that I have no objections," Komamura said.

"I... It would be an honor, Sir," Ichigo said.

Yamamoto nodded. "Good. We will begin immediately. We could use your ability to read minds to complete your training quicker and easier, but the other way, the normal way, would give you a chance to get used to it. Which do you prefer?" he asked.

"The second option, Sir," Ichigo answered.

"Good. It will give everyone a chance to get used to it as well. Also, I received this just this morning, but wanted to wait until I evaluated you to give it to you," Yamamoto said, handing him a letter.

Ichigo took the letter and read it, going into shock moments later.

"What is it, Ichigo? Oh? The Soul King's Seal? What?! You were made into a Central 46 Member?!" Kisuke yelled, shocked.

"Yes. Apparently they want someone to bridge the gap between the Central 46 and Seireitei," Ichigo said.

Shinji looked impressed. "Wow, Ichi-Chan, that's incredible!" he said.

"The rest of the package is in my Office. We'll get it later," Yamamoto said.

Ichigo nodded, feeling faint. He had wanted to be a solid part of Seireitei, but he hadn't expected it to be so much, so soon!

"Dammit, Kuchiki, Ichimaru! Stop teasing me and tell me the damn details of the fight!" Kenpachi yelled.

III

Voices. I hear voices. So many, too many, at once. I hear names, shouted orders, happy screams of children as they play. Children, how I hate them. All but one, my little child. I miss you. Why did you have to die? I hate Shinigami. They made you die. I will avenge you and your Mother, my fair child. Not now, but soon. I am tired. I will sleep now. Soon, I will wake up to kill them all.

III

"Ichigo, can I talk to you?" Shinji asked, walking into Ichigo's Office.

Ichigo looked up. Surprisingly it was the real Ichigo and not a clone. Shinji seemed to be able to do that for some reason. "Sure, Shinji. What do you need?" he asked.

"My Fukutaicho, Momo Hinamori, is having trouble keeping her head on straight, thanks to Aizen's Manipulations. Could you perhaps check her mind and then tell Orihime what to reject? That will go faster than you being her therapist. I know that you're licensed as a Therapist and Psychologist, thanks to your Clones going to College for you, but it's faster with Orihime rejecting it," Shinji requested.

Ichigo nodded. "Sure, Shinji. Orihime?" he asked, tapping the headset attached to his ear.

"Yes, Aniki-Chan?" Orihime's voice asked over the headset.

Ichigo spoke into the speaker that was near his mouth, camouflaged to the color of his skin. "Shinji needs our help with Hinamori-Fukutaicho. Can you come here, to my Office?" he asked.

"Of course, Aniki-Chan! Be right there!" she said and the connection died.

"She'll be right here," Ichigo said.

Shinji nodded. "Good, thank you," he said.

They waited a few moments before the door opened. Orihime stepped up to the desk with a smile. "What do you need?" she asked.

Shinji explained the plan and she nodded. "I'll help in any way possible!" she said.

"Good, thank you," Shinji said.

Ichigo stood up. "Let's get going then," he said, heading for the door.

III

"Thank you! I'll call on you if I need you again!" Shinji said, waving as Ichigo and Orihime left, Hinamori waving as well with a bright smile on her face.

Ichigo waved back and then Flickered away. As he entered the Squad Training Area, he heard shouting. One seemed to be Karin's voice, the other sounded like Toshiro's.

He looked and, sure enough, there were Karin and Toshiro, engaged in a shouting match that was threatening to get physical. Or, Ichigo thought, might have already been physical, as he looked at the frost on Karin's sleeve, and thought that maybe that was why she was mad. A stray attack, just barely missing her.

"What is going on here, Sixth Seat, Hitsugaya-Taicho?" he asked, stepping forward.

Karin stepped back, still furious, snarl on her face and fists clenched.

Toshiro ripped his angry gaze from Karin to Ichigo. "Shiba-Taicho, your Sixth Seat will not accept my apology and understand that I did not mean to get her – however slightly – with my attack! I was merely doing a large, area-wide Training Drill with my Zanpakuto, and accidentally grazed her with my attack," he said.

Ichigo nodded. "And you, Sixth Seat?" he asked.

"He will not understand that the Drill that he was doing is dangerous! It could have killed somebody!" Karin said heatedly.

"And I already acknowledged that! I will do the Drill over a forest from now on! Or are you and your entire family too obtuse to see logic?! I pity your family, having to deal with you!" Toshiro argued back.

"You want to put your money where your mouth is?" Karin asked, now enraged.

"Bring it on! Tell you what, since you're only a Sixth Seat, I won't even use Bankai!" Toshiro mocked.

Karin put on an angry smirk. "I'll make you regret that, _Captain_!" she mocked back.

She turned to Ichigo. "Shiba-Taicho, please referee our fight!" she said.

Ichigo was half amused – Toshiro didn't know what he'd just stirred up – and half angry – Toshiro had insulted his family, and Karin had not let the argument go. What was she goading Toshiro for? – so he nodded. "Let's use the Private Training Grounds for this fight," he said.

He handed Toshiro an Emerald with a, "Here, hold this." and then Flickered to the Underground Training Grounds. He Teleported them to his side the moment he got there.

Toshiro looked slightly disoriented, but he got over it soon. The two Duelers stood opposite eachother, waiting for Ichigo's word to start.

Ichigo slashed his hand down. "Begin!" he said and he Shunpoed to a safe place away from the fight, but still close enough to watch.

Karin launched herself forward, faster than Toshiro could react because he was so surprised, and struck him with her Titanium Knuckles. Blood spat out of Toshiro's mouth as he was blasted backwards.

'Hah! Take that!' Karin thought.

Toshiro stood up slowly, regaining his balance. 'Okay, keep my distance. Got it," he thought. He jumped back as Karin appeared in front of him, then he pulled out his sword.

'If she has to get through this unharmed, I have a greater chance of winning!' he thought, only to blink in shock as she blocked his blade with one hand, ducked inside his range of attack, and punched him again with the other hand, sending him flying backwards, ass over teakettle.

'Hah! Got you again! I'll prove that I'm not weak! I will prove that I'm an asset to Ichi-Nii!' Karin thought.

Ichigo suddenly understood. Karin had goaded Toshiro into a fight so that she could prove that she wouldn't drag him – Ichigo – down. Though to Ichigo, herself, or others was the question.

Toshiro got up again, angry again. 'Alright then, I'll just have to break those Knuckles of hers! Of course, if I can just keep out of her range I'll be better off. I have ranged attacks in Shikai, so I'll activate Shikai then!' he thought.

"Sit Upon The Frozen Heavens, Hyorinmaru!" he said. His sword let out a pulse of icy Reiatsu, freezing a ten foot circle around him.

He jumped back as Karin appeared in front of him, then he shot a small ice Dragon at her, intent upon freezing her so that she couldn't fight. To his ire, she dodged quickly and easily. He shot many others at her, but she dodged all of them, getting closer each time.

He got in a lucky shot, freezing her feet, just as she punched him again. He felt his ribs crack and he coughed up more blood. He jumped up into the air, clutching his ribs. He looked down at her, almost smirking in triumph. "Hah! Get me now!" he taunted.

He saw her scowl and raised a fist at him. 'Heh, what's she gonna do? She can't hit me from there!' he thought. He squinted as he saw a white point of light shine from her middle knuckle. His eyes widened as he realized that the light was getting closer, and at a fast pace.

He couldn't dodge in time because of his ribs, and because he didn't expect to need to. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach, felt his energy be drained, and felt himself fall. He landed painfully on the ground and felt his spine rupture and break in places. He then blessedly blacked out.

III

Ichigo Flickered to Toshiro's side and began to heal all that he could. Karin appeared next to him, looking proud. That melted into a worried look when he didn't speak.

"Ichi-Nii?" she asked meekly.

"Did you really need to prove yourself so much that you had to fight a Captain?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes! I needed to know that I wouldn't hold you back in a fight. I needed to know that I wouldn't be an easy target for Aizen or Yhwach! And I needed others to know that I wouldn't be a liability to them, so that they would take me seriously! It was easy this time because he didn't take me seriously, he underestimated me! I- I needed to- I- I'm sorry, Ichi-Nii. I disappointed you," she finished looking upset.

He immediately pulled her into a hug. "You could never disappoint me, Karin. I promise, you've never done so and you will never do so. And you don't need to prove yourself to anyone, as I already knew that you could never hold me back. Not now and not ever," he said.

She smiled as tears slid down her cheeks, leaning into his embrace.

"Am I interrupting something? Should I leave?" came Toshiro's pain filled voice.

Karin's face reddened. She had evidently seen what Toshiro thought that they were.

Ichigo laughed. "Hitsugaya-Taicho, I don't think that you'll have to worry about that between the two of us! Allow me to introduce the two of you. Sixth Seat, this is Toshiro Hitsugaya, Captain of the Tenth Squad. Hitsugaya-Taicho, this is one of my Sixth Seats of the Ninth Squad, Karin Kurosaki Shiba, my sister," he said.

Toshiro visibly paled. He opened his mouth and no sound came out. He shut it and flushed pink.

"I'm surprised, Hitsugaya-Taicho. You're normally able to say whatever is on your mind!" Karin teased with a grin.

"Says the girl with the older brother who can defeat anyone!" Toshiro shot back. His mouth then clicked shut and he flushed red, glancing at Ichigo with apprehension.

Ichigo snickered. "She doesn't need me to get involved with her fights," he said.

"I must apologize, Shiba-Taicho, Sixth Seat Karin, for my rude and insulting words from earlier. I never should have lost my temper and said them, no matter how angry I was," Toshiro said, standing up.

"Well, I shouldn't have goaded you like I did. I wanted to get you angry enough to fight me," Karin apologized in return.

"You could have just asked me to fight you, you know," Toshiro said, almost amused and a bit irritated.

"Would you have accepted, knowing that I was only a Sixth Seat?" she asked.

"Probably not," he acquiesced.

"Alright, we're done here. You should probably go to see Unohana-Taicho to get looked at. I don't know if I got everything," Ichigo said.

Toshiro looked distressed. "Do I have to? She'll yell at me for being careless!" he said.

Ichigo and Karin laughed. "Yes, sorry. See you tomorrow? I'll make good on my promise and teach you some of my Ice attacks, if you want?" Ichigo asked.

Toshiro brightened. "Sure, I'd like that," he said.

With a parting word, the three left to go back to their duties.

III

A bell rang to announce the first Central 46 Meeting since the old Central 46 died.

Ichigo sat with his back straight as he surveyed the other members of the august body. Most, he could see, were arrogant and full of themselves. He didn't know if he could work with them. The others were either unsure of themselves, or full of calm assurance. He figured that he could work with them.

An older man stood up at the Speaking Podium. "Hello and Welcome, my forty five brothers and sisters. We are the new Central 46, as our predecessors are all dead, slaughtered by a man called Sosuke Aizen, former Captain of the Fifth Division of the Gotei 13 in Seireitei. As the Chairman, it is my duty to lead all of us through this time of uncertainty.

As the first order of duty, the Chair would like to recognize Lord Shiba-Taicho, Clan Head of the Noble Shiba Family. He is the one who brought the Shiba's back to their status as a Great Noble Family. He is also the only one among us who is allowed to pass or discard any laws pertaining to the Gotei 13, those are the Soul King's orders. The Soul King has called him a wise and powerful individual, so let us show him the utmost of respect," he said.

There was some muttering, but no outright protests.

"Does anyone have anything to be addressed?" he asked.

Ichigo stood up. "I do," he said.

"Yes, Shiba-Sama?" the old man asked.

"Karasu-Sama, I have noticed the rather sad state of the Rukongai. I am not trying to be insulting when I ask this, but is not the care of the Rukongai the job of this body?" Ichigo asked.

Karasu bowed his head in sadness. "Alas, I do not have the money to help them. There are eighty Districts out there, and we do not have the money to help them all," he said regretfully.

Ichigo nodded. "Then I will help them," he declared.

Everyone looked at him in shock. "You have enough money to help them? How? Where did it come from?" a middle aged man called Arata asked with a slight sneer.

"I have spent the last fifteen years in the Human World. Within that time I have acquired many businesses that are still funneling money to me," Ichigo answered calmly, though slightly irked that the man was insinuating that he'd stolen the money.

The Clones that he had running those Businesses had a dozen Reiatsu Batteries each, each filled to the max so that, instead of getting low on Reiatsu, they could draw from the Battery to stay alive longer. Ideally they would last for two years before he had to give them more Batteries. They were also sending him their memories each night through a stone, that way he stayed updated on what they were doing.

"Enough money to take care of the entire Rukongai?" a man called Hotaku asked, smirking.

"Is one Billion Yen for each District enough? If not, I can also add ten Thousand Yen for each family," Ichigo said coolly.

They all stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You have that much money, Shiba-Sama?" a woman called Kusura asked, unable to believe that someone could have that much money.

"I do. The Living World pays much better than here, and there are many more trades there than here," Ichigo said, inclining his head towards her.

He could see the greed on many of their faces and hear it in their minds. Some were actively planning to get him to give them his money, but the more honorable ones were only planning on how to get a Business set up in the Human World.

"Then I guess that you can do this. Would you like us to be the ones to dole out the money for you? Each of us could dole the money out to two Districts for you, Shiba-Sama," Arata asked smoothly, seemingly eager to help, but Ichigo could read through his mind that Arata wanted to steal the money for himself.

"No, thank you. I will have my family help me," Ichigo said.

"Do you not trust us?" an older man by the name of Homaru asked.

'Not as far as I could throw you, further, closer, or anywhere in between,' Ichigo thought realistically.

"I know that I may be offending some people here, but my family knows how I work and operate, therefore they and I will work more efficiently. It is not a matter of trust," he said, keeping his voice level and his emotions out of it.

'Though that does certainly help,' he thought.

"That is okay, we understand, Shiba-Sama. Is there anything else?" Karasu asked.

"May I please have written and verbal permission to do as I see fit to help the Rukongai? Some may say that I have no right, even if you did say that I could, so I need written permission," Ichigo said.

He knew that with what he was planning, Members of the Central 46 would complain and say that he wasn't allowed to do those things, so he needed the written permission.

"Of course, Shiba-Sama. Once we finish our Meeting I will give it to you," Karasu said.

Ichigo nodded his head politely while holding in a smirk. If these people thought that he knew nothing of Politics because of his young age, then they were mistaken. He knew a lot about Politics. As it was, that had been easy. Now he just had to endure the rest of the meeting.

He held in a sigh as he realized that he had to attend these Meetings for the rest of his life. 'Nooo!' he thought, inwardly crying.

" _ **Aww, shaddup, King! It's not that bad!"**_ Shiro said.

'You're mean! You're not the one who has to deal with this!' Ichigo said.

" _ **But it's for your-"**_ Shiro was cut off as Ossan lunged at him and began choking him.

" **Don't you dare say it! You know what happened last time!"** Ossan said, shaking Shiro in a stranglehold.

Shiro gurgled helplessly.

Ichigo did his best to tune them out.

III

 **Alright, I have to confess that I'm on the last spare Chapter of the story. I don't know when I'll finish the next one, but I am working on it, so I'll do my best.**

 **And not to worry, I will be doing the Zanpakuto Rebellion Arc.**

 **Okay, see you next time!**

 **Aisu.**


End file.
